Press "Enter" to skip to content

Mexico Volkswagen, General Motors halt production due to US snow storm

Puebla, Mexico — Due to the ongoing winter conditions in the U.S., two auto production companies in Mexico will have to halt operations. Both Volkswagen and General Motors of Mexico say that due to a lack of natural gas, they will have to halt operations until February 21.

Their announcement came on the heels of that of Texas governor Greg Abbott, who ordered a halt to gas exports starting Wednesday. Abbott has ordered a stop to all gas exports until February 21, while the state deals with the frigid temperatures and ongoing winter storm that has ripped through a large portion of the country.

In the meantime, both Volkswagen and General Motors have said they will alter production in order to comply with the request to reduce the consumption of natural gas in the face of the hydrocarbon shortage generated in the US.

In a statement, Volkswagen said that on Thursday, it will stop the production of its Jetta and on Friday, the manufacturing of the Taos and Golf units.

General Motors has also halted operations at its Silao plant in the state of Guanajuato. The company has put a hold on production since Tuesday night due to the shortage of natural gas as a result of the US cold snap.

The company said that production is on hold but will return “when the gas supply is restored to an optimal level.”

On Wednesday, Texas governor Doug Abbott announced the suspension of natural gas exports until February 21 to anywhere outside the state. In a press conference, Abbott affirmed that this order is effective from Wednesday until February 21.

“ Some of the natural gas produced in Texas is occasionally shipped out of state. I have issued an order effective through February 21, requiring producers who have been shipping to locations outside of Texas to instead, sell that natural gas to the Texas power generator which will increase the power that is being used to produce and ship to homes here.

“That will increase the capacity of the gas power generator in Texas to increase the power sent to the Texas electrical grid,” he explained adding “there are still challenges with all generation sources as a result of mechanical difficulties, gas supply problems and the effects of extreme winter weather conditions.”