Despite the proved potential to harness ocean energy off the Mexican coast, one of the main aspects that have restrained the development of this industry is the lack of information regarding the environmental and social impacts of the devices and plants. Under this premise, a review of literature that could help identifying the potential repercussions of energy plants on those fields was performed. The available studies carried out around the world show a clear tendency to use indicators to assess impacts specifically related to the source of energy to be converted. The information gathered was used to address the foreseeable impacts on a hypothetical case regarding the deployment of an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant off the Chiapas coast in Mexico. From the review it was found that for OTEC plants, the most important aspect to be considered is the discharge plume volume and its physicochemical composition, which can lead to the proliferation of harmful algal blooms. Regarding the case study, it is interesting to note that although the environmental impacts need to be mitigated and monitored, they can be somehow alleviated considering the potential social benefits of the energy industry.

中文翻译：

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热梯度和潮流能量转换对环境和社会的影响及其在墨西哥恰帕斯州的应用

尽管已证明可以利用海洋能源开发墨西哥海岸以外的资源，但制约该行业发展的主要因素之一是缺乏有关设备和植物对环境和社会影响的信息。在此前提下，对文献进行了综述，以帮助确定能源厂在这些领域的潜在影响。在世界范围内进行的可用研究表明，存在明显的趋势，即使用指标来评估与转换能源特别相关的影响。所收集的信息用于解决关于在墨西哥恰帕斯州海岸部署海洋热能转化（OTEC）厂的假设案例的可预见影响。通过审查发现，对于OTEC植物，要考虑的最重要方面是排放羽流的体积及其理化组成，这可能导致有害藻华的扩散。关于案例研究，有趣的是，尽管需要减轻和监测环境影响，但考虑到能源行业的潜在社会效益，可以通过某种方式减轻环境影响。