The constant interruptions in the electricity supply in practically the entire state have generated a lot of discontent among Yucatecans, who have been forced to raise their voices and resort to sit-ins and street closures, due to the apathy of the CFE to seek a solution.
With the high temperatures that have recently been felt in Yucatan, there have been constant power outages, which has caused great dissatisfaction among users, who, given the frequent service failures and the delay in addressing them, have had to resort to pressure measures such as sit-ins and street closures.
“The hot season is just beginning and the supply of electricity by the Federal Electricity Commission becomes a problem”, said Mrs. Marlene Catzín, a resident of the Nueva Kukulcán neighborhood, who pointed out that for the last five days they have been suffering terrible service from the CFE.
She said that the electricity supply has been intermittent in the evening and there are about 150 families affected in this area of the Yucatan capital.
Only yesterday street closures were reported in neighborhoods and subdivisions such as Tanlum, Miraflores, Vergeles, San José Tecoh, Centro Histórico and municipalities such as Kanasín, Acanceh, Seyé and the south of the state.
Last Sunday, a day with a wind chill of 50 degrees Celsius, the problem became more evident in places like the Los Héroes subdivision, Chichi Suárez and part of the Leandro Valle neighborhood, which were left without electricity for several hours.
“It was almost three hours that we were without power and this situation is already normal when the hot season begins. We have no choice but to wait for the power to be fixed or for those who can go to a relative’s house,” said Kareli Castillo, a neighbor of Los Héroes.
“Many of the neighbors have already had appliances burned, they have lost their weekly groceries and many others need to keep medicines refrigerated or medical devices for treatment, this situation is terrible and we have been living with it for more than 20 years”, commented Mr. Victor Contreras, from the Miraflores neighborhood.
The neighbors of this area told this reporter that for approximately four months the service has had constant cuts in the supply, leaving them without electricity for several hours and with the consequent discomfort among the inhabitants due to the intense heat that decomposes the food and does not allow them to rest.
They have also noticed an increase in service rates. Some commented that they went from paying, as an example, 1,000 pesos bimonthly to 3,000 pesos in the same period.
-And it is not that they are houses full of air conditioning that are working as in offices, they are houses of Infonavit and humble people, so we do not understand this abuse on the part of the CFE,” said a neighbor of the San José Tecoh neighborhood.
“If we do not reach something concrete with the Commission, the same thing will always happen, what we want is to reach a solution, a representative to talk to us and we can express to him what is happening and he will make a pact with us that all this will end”, said another of those affected.
Up to now, the CFE has not given a position regarding these intermittent outages and the delay in the restoration of service, which on many occasions has taken more than 24 hours.
Reports of power outages in various areas of the Yucatecan capital have increased and coincide with the current heat wave that is sweeping the region, with temperatures above 40ºC and thermal sensations of up to 50ºC.
It should be remembered that, at the beginning of the year Manuel Bartlett Díaz, director of the CFE, affirmed that the also called “world class company” has invested more than 151 billion pesos during the current federal administration, to implement an integral strategy to adequately supply electric energy to the Yucatan peninsula.
He stated that, thanks to these investments, 11,700 direct jobs and 16,800 indirect jobs have been generated.
“Mexico has grown in an unequal manner, as the north, center and Bajío grew while historically the south/southeast was abandoned and isolated. However, the boost given by the current administration to the Yucatan Peninsula represents a true transformation that will rebalance what was a broken country,” he stated on that occasion.
Likewise, Bartlett Díaz added that the CFE joined the construction process of the great work represented by the Mayan Train.
In terms of generation, the CFE is building two combined cycle power plants in the cities of Merida and Valladolid, with an investment of 25,901 million pesos. The plants will have a generation capacity of 499 megawatts (MW) and 1,020 MW, respectively.
With the entry into operation of these power plants in the summer of 2024, the available generation capacity in the peninsula will reach 4,521 MW, so that the energy supply will exceed the estimated maximum demand of 2,642 MW by 70 percent, including the operation of the Mayan Train.
He explained that the construction of electric infrastructure that the CFE is carrying out in the jungle of the peninsula to develop this project is equivalent to installing a new electric system like the one in the city of Merida.
For the operation of the Mayan Train in the electrified section that covers a distance of 690 kilometers, the CFE is carrying out 53 electrical infrastructure works, related to the construction of seven Tractor Electrical Substations that will connect the train to the electrical grid, regulate the voltage of the energy it will use and provide traction power. Three of these substations will be located between the cities of Merida and Cancun and four are located between Cancun and Chetumal.
These 53 works are being carried out with an investment of 6,587 million pesos, and generate 2,100 direct jobs and 1,422 indirect jobs.
Third heat wave
On the other hand, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) detailed that the third heat wave will continue, and that 22 states of the country will have temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.
In a press release, the SMN pointed out that two states will have maximum temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius: Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.
In addition, the entities where maximum temperatures of 40 to 45 °C are forecast are: Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Durango (west), Chihuahua (northeast), Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatán.
Finally, the third heat wave will cause maximum temperatures of 30 to 35 °C in Tlaxcala and Mexico City.
The population is advised to take preventive measures such as avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays, to hydrate adequately, to pay special attention to chronically ill people, children and the elderly, and to heed the instructions of the health sector and Civil Protection.
TYT Newsroom
