CFE approves major electrical grid upgrade as summer approaches

Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) announced this week that it volition put US $2.5 cardinal to make 5 caller powerfulness plants successful the coming years.

After Tuesday’s bonzer session, the CFE Board of Directors besides announced it is taking steps to fortify the electrical grid successful the Yucatán Peninsula up of the summertime season. 

Leon, Guanajuato, nether blackout conditions past May, erstwhile residents crossed Mexico experienced rolling blackouts. The metropolis of Salamanca, besides successful Guanajuato, volition beryllium 1 of the recipients of 5 caller powerfulness plants CFE volition physique crossed Mexico. (Jorge Ortega Hernández/Cuartoscuro)

The steps travel astir a twelvemonth aft blackouts and intentional powerfulness outages plagued ample swaths of the state successful May and August, importantly affecting fashionable tourer destinations successful the authorities of Quintana Roo specified arsenic Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum, arsenic good arsenic successful the Riviera Nayarit on the Pacific Coast.

Last May, the Yucatán Times reported that powerfulness outages occurred successful astatine slightest 21 of Mexico’s 32 states, and the National Energy Control Center (Cenace) had declared a authorities of exigency successful the nation’s energy strategy connected much than 3 occasions.

Where volition the 5 caller powerfulness plants beryllium built?

CFE announced that the caller plants volition beryllium built successful the pursuing cities:

• Salamanca, Guanajuato
• Tula, Hidalgo 
• Mazatlán, Sinaloa
• Altamira, Tamaulipas 
• Los Cabos, Baja California Sur

All volition diagnostic state-of-the-art technology, according to a CFE property release.

The grid upgrade is portion of President Sheinbaum’s National Energy Sector Strategy, which President Sheinbaum introduced successful November and Energy Minister Luz Elena González tin beryllium seen present explaining to reporters. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartsocuro)

In summation to the 5 states successful which the powerfulness plants are being built, 4 different states — Sonora, Durango, Coahuila and Jalisco — volition payment directly, the CFE said, adding that these ventures are the archetypal of 12 strategical projects included successful the government’s Plan to Expand Energy Generation implicit the adjacent six years, the CFE said.

All but the Los Cabos powerfulness works volition beryllium combined-cycle operations, which usage state and steam turbines unneurotic to nutrient up to 50% much energy from the aforesaid substance than a single-cycle works tin manage.

The Los Cabos task volition diagnostic an interior combustion powerfulness works that volition trust connected earthy gas. The CFE explained this determination by saying interior combustion operations usage little h2o and Los Cabos is located successful a godforsaken zone.

All 5 powerfulness plants volition person a 30-year lifespan, the CFE said, and each volition beryllium susceptible of operating with diesel substance successful lawsuit of emergency.

Keeping the aerial conditioning connected successful the Riviera Maya

The CFE’s plans to heighten the electrical web successful the Yucatán Peninsula up of the summertime vigor comes arsenic large quality to the authorities of Quintana Roo.

The tiny authorities astatine the eastbound extremity of the peninsula receives astir 33 cardinal tourists each year, and its hot, humid clime results successful precocious request for aerial conditioning.

Blackouts successful May and August past year wreaked havoc astatine the tallness of the tourer season. The nonaccomplishment of powerfulness resulted successful postulation airy failures, aerial conditioning malfunctions and problems astatine hotels and buying malls, portion besides affecting ATM services and adjacent mobile net services.

To code the Peninsula’s energy shortages, the CFE said it volition instal capacitor banks successful 7 bluish substations successful Quintana Roo astatine a outgo of 194.4 cardinal pesos. (US $9.6 million). These banks volition store and merchandise vigor to amended the authorities electrical system’s efficiency.

To enactment up Quintana Roo’s electrical grid, CFE plans to instal substation capacitor banks, which store energy and support travel much consistent. (Eaton)

Additionally, a three-phase transformer volition beryllium moved from Saltillo, Coahuila, to Playa del Carmen astatine a outgo of 49.4 cardinal pesos (US $2.4 million). A three-phase transformer tin measurement up oregon measurement down voltage much efficiently owed to its quality to grip precocious powerfulness loads. 

The CFE did not accidental erstwhile these projects volition beryllium completed, nor did it notation if installation of the capacitor banks would impact Quintana Roo’s powerfulness proviso during installation.

It did, however, accidental it has besides approved a fund of 9.7 cardinal pesos (US $478,000) to trim method losses, to modernize Mexico’s organisation substations, to put successful automatic and distant operational capacities and to acquisition caller equipment, computers and vehicles.

Additionally, the CFE besides authorized 137 projects to renovate, substitute and physique caller substations.

With reports from El Financiero, Riviera Maya News, The Yucatán Times and El Economista