The new rules require that future private investment contracts in the electricity sector comply with the federal regulatory framework, including the engineering and construction supervision phases described in the official document. The tool aims to provide greater certainty regarding timelines and investor responsibilities, as well as greater insight into the development of installed assets.
This decree details the supervision of generation projects and the conditions for private investments within the Mexican regulatory framework, providing a clearer context for market participants. In this regard, a recent report from Ember indicates that private investment and energy storage could play an important role in the coming years, with estimates of up to 36,000 MW of solar energy and 30 GWh of battery storage.
The most recent PV project submitted for approval is a Solar power plant of 90 MW planned for the municipality of Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, with interconnection to the Lagos Galera substation of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). The proposal includes 218,568 solar panels on 2,602 trackers in a 1P84 configuration. The design requires 100 central inverters – four per transformer station – spread over 25 substations delivering a power of 34.5 kV. The generated energy is led via a low-voltage network to inverters that convert direct current to alternating current at 645 V.
Another project is the 118.8 MW Tulancingo solar farmunder development by Desarrollos Fotovoltaicos de México del Centro, is expected to be located in the municipality of Singuilucan in the state of Hidalgo. GR Energía Renovables is developing a 30 MW solar facility in San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico’s Central Highlands.
In addition, Bluemex San Miguel has submitted an environmental impact report to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) for the 139 MW FV Santa Fe solar projectwhich includes 680W bifacial modules, an energy storage system, an electrical substation and a transmission line of 335,885 meters on an area of 481,432 hectares with a planned occupancy of 178,781 hectares in the municipality of Allende, Guanajuato.
Another project is the 788.7 MW Alegría Solar project coupled with 177.69 MW/314.98 MWh of battery storage. The plant, submitted to Semarnat by Sunstone Power 2, is planned for the municipality of Campeche in the state of the same name. It includes 1,151,416 photovoltaic modules of 685 W each, 101 transformer centers and 202 inverters.
Yet GCC Solar Samalayuca has completed the environmental impact assessment for the Samalayuca I solar park projectwhich includes the preparation, construction and operation of a self-consumption photovoltaic park with an alternating current generation capacity of up to 22.2 MW and an estimated production of 59,229 GWh per year. The facility will be located in Juárez, Chihuahua state.
In October, Spanish energy company Iberdrola announced plans to move forward with two solar projects totaling 535 MW in Mexico, marking a renewed commitment to the country’s energy market after years of divestments and regulatory tensions.
Through its local subsidiary Green Park Energy, the Spanish utility has obtained approval for a land use change for a 415 MW photovoltaic facility in Saltillo, Coahuila. The unit also submitted an environmental impact statement for its 120 MW San Diego de la Unión photovoltaic project in Guanajuato.
Since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office, her administration has sought a more pragmatic relationship with foreign investors. “There will be room for private investment, but with certain rules,” Sheinbaum said recently, emphasizing the need for technical and operational stability in the energy sector.
