BY S.C. EDISON
The National Energy Control Center (CENACE) reported a demand for 624 MW at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 21, when blackouts occurred in four municipalities of the state, Los Cabos, La Paz, Loreto and Ciudad Constitución. The highest previous demand in July 2022 was 595 MW, or 8. 74 percent lower.
“The demand could reach 652 MW very soon,” said a CENACE spokesperson. “Financially, an estimated increase of 20 percent is just not sustainable,” said Jaqueline Valenzuela, director of the Center of Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality. “The current heatwave could even send the demand up to 700 MW,” she added.
Earlier this year, President Lopez Obrador (AMLO) approved $180 million USD for a gas-fueled power plant which would aid or substitute the current diesel-fueled plant in Pichilingue, La Paz.
This writer consulted with an expert in the field, Canuck Ted Goodman on where he thinks the plant should be built. Goodman replied: “They should build the new plant in Cabo where the future power is needed. I do not see too much development for La Paz. The plant could go on the corridor somewhere or in the East Cape. The gas can be fed from an ocean feeding line anchored to the sea bed to a floating buoy. They do that ship-to-shore transfer all over the world. That would save on the cost of a new power transmission power line to Cabo. The plant price is the same and Cabo and the East Cape will continue to grow faster than La Paz and Todos Santos.”
In the meantime, the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE) announced that it will deploy 3 large power generators between today and August in La Paz and Los Cabos. This, they say, will prevent blackouts from continuing. In the meantime, they are cutting power for short periods of time, from 30 minutes to 2 hours rotating different neighborhoods.
We know the temperature is hot but reduce A/C consumption as much as you can. Use your power wisely and save energy!