The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) will improve electricity generation capacity in Baja California Sur after the state was hit by a series of blackouts due to low capacity earlier this year.

CFE operations director Carlos Andrés Morales Mar announced the plan at an event with Governor Carlos Mendoza Davis.

Morales said that electricity distribution problems in Baja California Sur have been caused by poor maintenance of the state’s generation plants. By October, the CFE will restore 42 megawatts of generation capacity that are currently out of service.

Morales also said that a natural gas power plant being built in Pichilingue will be equipped with energy-saving technology including heat recuperators, and will have a capacity of 170 megawatts when it goes into operation.

By the summer of 2021, another four new generators will be operating, he said. “That will mean the production of 170 megawatts, which will relieve the pressure on the electricity system.”

In total, Morales said that Baja California Sur will have an additional 472 megawatts of generation capacity by the end of 2022.

Governor Mendoza said that Baja California Sur’s current generation capacity should be close to 750 megawatts, while peak consumption is around 550 megawatts. However, due to poor maintenance of generating facilities, capacity is sometimes actually closer to 550 megawatts, forcing the CFE to cut service at peak consumption times.

“In 2020, we will have an additional 280 megawatts, which will make it less likely for us to face this kind of circumstance,” said Mendoza.

The lights went out in Baja California Sur cities at least three times over the summer.

Source: El Sudcaliforniano (sp), Energía a Debate (sp)