Puerto Peñasco, Sonora — During the weekend, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the first stage of the Puerto Peñasco Photovoltaic Power Plant in Sonora.
The Puerto Peñasco Photovoltaic Power Plant will be the first of its kind in Mexico due to its technology, storage capacity and specialized equipment. It will benefit 1.6 million residents in Puerto Peñasco, Caborca, Pitiquito, Altar, Sonoyta and San Luis Río Colorado, in the state of Sonora, as well as Ensenada, Tecate, Tijuana and Mexicali in Baja California.
“The inauguration of this plant is fundamental because it is (…) clean energy for the future development of Sonora and the north of the continent for the promotion of the industry. (…) It means the beginning of a new policy, both in the Federal Electricity Commission, and in the government of our country,” López Obrador reported.
In its 2,000 hectares of extension, it will generate 1,000 megawatts and 192 more batteries. It will be the largest in all of America and the fifth worldwide, López Obrador explained in a statement.
This project also includes the construction of an associated transmission network that, in a historic event, will integrate the isolated system of Baja California into the National Transmission Network .
The first sequence was built by the Mexican company Seselec. This stage will provide the first 120 megawatts generated in Puerto Peñasco and an additional 12 megawatts with batteries as backup.
In September 2022, the activities of sequence II began, which will end in June 2024, and will have a capacity of 300 megawatts.
López Obrador has proposed to members of the Single Union of Electrical Workers of the Mexican Republic (Suterm) that plant bear the name of Rafael Galván, opposition leader in the 70s.
“Rafael is no longer with us, but we always have to remember those who fight for justice, fight for democracy, fight for workers in an authentic way and fight for the people,” he said.
He stressed that Sonora’s resources give it the potential to transition to alternatives other than fossil fuels.
There has always been talk of clean, renewable energy and Mexico is doing its part to take care of the environment, to avoid pollution, to take care of our renewable resources. Therefore, we need to continue with this policy and thank the workers, the technicians of the Federal Electricity Commission for their contribution, for their support,” he added.
