MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s state power utility plans to grant preliminary approval to scores of renewable energy or RE projects next week that would produce enough electricity in total to rival eight nuclear reactors, helping fortify the nation’s blackout-prone grid.
The board of Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) is scheduled to vote on Oct 20 on more than 60 projects, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
The proposed power plants, mostly wind and solar farms, will add about 8.2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to Mexico’s grid and cost an estimated US$12.5bil, depending on transmission expenses, according to the person who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.
A second person said the number of projects that receive final approval could be smaller. A CFE spokesperson said the state utility is still working with companies to finalise the terms of the proposed projects, and that it’s premature to say how many projects will ultimately be approved.
The contracts are part of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s strategy to shore up Mexico’s beleaguered grid by enlisting private companies to partner with the nation’s power utility to build more infrastructure. — Bloomberg
