Spotlight: 2 upcoming transmission line tenders in Mexico

Two Mexican agencies are readying two transmission line tenders to increase capacity at the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Sonora and Querétaro, the last two with supply issues and power cuts in recent months. 

The biggest tender concerns 766km of 400kV lines for Sinaloa, Nayarit and Sonora and is being prepared by federal power utility CFE, which presented the project to 44 enterprises. 

The second is being planned by Queretaro state’s energy agency, which is attempting to become the first local government to plan, auction and supervise its own electricity infrastructure through a public-private partnership contest for 140km of 115kV high-voltage lines.

I20 

CFE announced in a statement on August 30 that it presented the I20 project to increase energy transmission on the west coast of the country to 44 companies during a roadshow. The companies included contractors, manufacturers and suppliers and electrical manufacturing chamber Caname.

The project will be divided into two stages. The first “consists of the installation of four state-of-the-art dynamic reactive power devices (STATCOM)” to compensate for stability in the transmission systems; and the second involves the deployment of the lines across the three states, along with eight feeders and three reactor banks. 

Information regarding the tender has not been released yet. 

Querétaro

During the Mexico WindPower event in Mexico City last week, Eduardo Martínez, the director of Querétaro state’s energy agency, unveiled plans to launch a 6bn-peso (US$342mn) transmission tender during 1Q24. 

He said the agency was still evaluating if it launches one or more tenders. “We are planning three stages. The first in 2024, the second in 2026 and the third in 2028,” he said.

Besides the 140km of 115kV high-voltage lines, the project also involves two substations with installed capacity of 1,500MVA and six control panels. 

Querétaro's authorities are looking to finance US$300mn of transmission investments to add 900MW of new capacity. According to Martínez, the project would double the state's existing capacity. 

State governments usually do not plan electricity infrastructure, which is the prerogative of CFE. 

Yet, the state is home to around 1,300 companies located in 49 industrial parks that demand 1.3GW, while CFE’s installed capacity is at its limit. As more companies are expected to arrive amid a nearshoring boom, the state was forced to take action.