Baja California Sur is already experiencing power outages as temperatures climb ahead of summer, affecting at least 20 neighborhoods in La Paz and Los Cabos.
The blackouts began Sunday night in several neighborhoods in both cities and lasted from 40 minutes to over an hour. Additional outages were reported in the municipalities of Loreto, Mulegé and Comondú, affecting more than 400,000 residents statewide.
Another interruption in electrical service occurred Wednesday night, May 13, between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Residents reported that service in some areas was not restored for nearly two hours.
The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) said Thursday that the outages affected about 5% of users in both cities, but the agency did not provide details on the cause of the disruptions.
The Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality, an advocacy organization promoting renewable energy, attributed the blackouts to the limited flexibility of the state’s electrical grid, which it says is operating beyond capacity.
On Tuesday, May 12, four Baja California Sur state legislators issued a statement saying they had received numerous complaints and inquiries from constituents regarding the outages. The lawmakers called on the CFE to explain the cause of the disruptions.
Baja California Sur Civil Protection officials said they are still in constant contact with the CFE and are monitoring hospitals and other critical facilities where uninterrupted electrical service is essential.
