diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 3aa1fb7..5d72f6d 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 if on_rtd:
     INSTALL_REQUIRES = []
 else:
-    INSTALL_REQUIRES = ['esmpy', 'xarray', 'numpy', 'scipy']
+    INSTALL_REQUIRES = ['esmpy>=8.0.0', 'xarray', 'numpy', 'scipy']
 
 CLASSIFIERS = [
     'Development Status :: 4 - Beta',