The National Interconnected System of Mexico is “on alert” due to the high demand for energy, according to online news source Daily Mexico.
Due to the heat wave that has affected Mexico since the beginning of this month and the associated increase in the use of air conditioning, the country’s electrical system has been affected, causing blackouts in parts of the country.
Alerts have been issued in multiple states where temperatures have exceeded 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). These include Sonora, Sinaloa, Michoacán, Guerrero, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Tabasco and Yucatán.
According to the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace), the maximum demand on Tuesday exceeded 51,368 megawatt hours, leaving an operating margin of only 6% and causing a “state of alert.” To operate optimally, the electrical grid must have a margin of at least 10%.
The news sparked fears of widespread power outages.
Carlos Hernández, vice president of renewable energy at the National Energy Commission of Coparmex (the national employers’ association), said that the country’s blackouts can be attributed to a lack of investment in electrical infrastructure and to government energy policies that favor the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
“In Mexico we have an installed capacity of 80,000 megawatts, and at this moment, when the electrical system is in this situation, exceeding 50,000 megawatts, the oldest, inefficient and polluting plants begin to enter the network,” Hernández told the newspaper El Pais.
“That is why we have insisted that private investments complement the CFE. What we see is the result of an energy policy that has arbitrarily halted investments, especially in clean energy.”
Hernández cited reported power outages in the Yucatán peninsula, the Bajo region, Aguascalientes, Veracruz, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. In Huetamo, Michoacán, the heat wave caused an explosion inside a CFE electrical substation, causing a four-day blackout.
The president of Coparmex, Manuel Liaño, pointed out that in Veracruz there have been repeated blackouts, which have affected businesses and residents.
“The constant blackouts generate economic effects on homes and businesses. In homes there is no adequate rest and the food spoils, which hits their finances,” said Liaño.
President López Obrador minimized the Cenace report. During his morning press conference this Wednesday, he assured journalists that “there is no problem” and that the electricity supply will be guaranteed for the entire country.
“[The alert] is routine. There is always a reserve margin. It just goes down because there is more consumption,” the president said.
The Ministry of Health reported that 8 people had died as a result of the heat as of Friday.