Mexico's National Center for Energy Control (CENACE) forecasts a historic peak of up to 54,000 megawatts in electricity demand during the hottest months from May to late summer, but with sufficient reserves to prevent blackouts. CENACE director Octavio Mota Palomino called it a 'tight summer, but without deficit.' Officials have taken preventive steps ahead of potential heat waves.
Octavio Mota Palomino, CENACE's general director, made these remarks at the “Feria de energía e innovación para la transformación y el bienestar” event organized by the Secretariat of Energy (SENER). “We are really expecting a tight summer, but without deficit,” he stated. The main risk lies in the reliability of natural gas supply, particularly in southeast Mexico.
To address these challenges, CENACE ran an early maintenance program from November to March, ensuring power plant availability. In the Yucatán Peninsula, supply will be bolstered by 150 megawatts of emergency generation from portable Comisión Federal de Electricidad plants. “We are already prepared for eventual heat waves, we hope to get through without issues,” Mota Palomino said.
The previous demand record was set on June 21, 2023, with a 10% rise from the prior year. Distributed generation has helped curb apparent peak growth. SENER Electricity Subsecretary Antonio Rojas Nieto said the worst-case operational reserve margin would be 7%, above the 6% required by the grid code.
Rojas Nieto pointed to structural limits, such as the gap between 92,000 megawatts of installed capacity and the 55,000 megawatt maximum demand. He stressed the need to strengthen transmission networks and expand state-operated firm generation through combined cycles for reliability.