Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) will develop five natural gas-fired plants as part of its 2025-2030 Generation Expansion Plan.
Construction of the plants – in Salamanca, Tula, Mazatlán, Altamira and Los Cabos – were all approved this week by the CFE Board of Directors.
Four of the five are natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) plants. The 498 MW Salamanca II Combined Cycle Power Plant replace the Salamanca Thermoelectric Plant. The 912 MW Francisco Pérez Ríos Combined Cycle Power Plant will replace the Francisco Pérez Ríos Thermoelectric Power Plant in Tula, Hidalgo. The 575 MW Mazatlán Combined Cycle Power Plant will replace two units of the Thermoelectric Power Plant in Mazatlán. The 581 MW Altamira Combined Cycle Power Plant will replace two units of the Altamira Thermoelectric Power Plant.
A fifth plant, the Los Cabos Internal Combustion Power Plant in Baja California Sur, will have 13 high-efficiency internal combustion engines and an approximate capacity of 240 MW. Since the plant is to be located in a desert area and the aim is to conserve water, a combined-cycle plant was not chosen.
All of these plants will have a 30-year lifespan, the CFE says, and they can operate on diesel in case of emergency.
The 2025-2030 Generation Expansion Plan will include a total of 12 generation projects, with 5,840 MW of capacity.
