Two mega projects are canceled for US 3 billion 300 million in Mexico

The two mega lines of transmission of direct current in high tension (HVDC, by its abbreviation in English) more important in the history of the electrical projects of the country, with joint estimated investments of US $ 3 billion 300 million, of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the center and of the interconnection of Baja California with the rest of the country, were canceled, according to the confirmation of Projects Mexico of the National Bank of Works and Public Services (Banobras).

On Monday, those registered to follow up on the tender called by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) received the update of the project stage: canceled. With this, the tender for the Yautepec-Ixtepec Direct Current Transmission Line, of 1,221 kilometers, concluded, with a linear length of more than 600 kilometers would cross six entities: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz, and required an estimated investment of US $ 1 billion 200 million and the transmission of 3,000 megawatts.

The objective of building this line was to vent the renewable generation of the south-southeast of the country, since only Oaxaca has 27 of the 49 parks in operation in the country, with an installed capacity of 2,360 megawatts, which is 57% of the national total.

As a result of the three long-term auctions of the state company, by 2021, the development of 200 new clean energy plants throughout the country is committed, with an additional capacity of 19,500 megawatts (26% of current capacity).

Of these plants, six wind farms and 11 solars will be located in Yucatan, in addition to two sites in Quintana Roo, two more wind farms in Campeche, and a biomass plant that will be added to the seven hydroelectric plants and two wind turbines in Chiapas, which will require transmission in new networks, since the current ones work to transport the current generation.

Twenty-eight transnational companies registered with the canceled contest, such as the world leaders in HVDC technology, the Swiss ABB, the German Siemens, and the US GE, as well as potential operators, such as the Spanish companies Abengoa and Iberdrola, the American Mastec, the Italian Techint, the Chinese Sinohydro, the Canadian Hydro Québec, the Mexican ICA Fluor and Arendal, and even the Indian Kalpataru Power Transmission, among others.

To develop the project, the CFE had determined in the call that a public-private partnership would be carried out for the first time for this type of project, in a commercial scheme known as Construye, Opera, and Transfiere, which includes an equal payment scheme for 25 years, from the start of operation of the project.

On the other hand, since January 21, the project Interconnection of the Electric System of Baja California with the National Interconnected System, which last year called the Energy Secretariat, was updated with the status of canceled.

This project, with an investment of US $ 1 billion 100 million, would consist of 1,400 kilometers of the circuit with HVDC technology to connect with a transmission capacity of 1,500 megawatts to the Baja California Peninsula, which has a system isolated from the rest of the country since its construction.

To the three wind farms located in Baja California and Baja California Sur, the commitments of the auctions will add two more parks, along with five photovoltaic and two biomass plants, which will be added to the two geothermal power plants that already operate in these entities, whose The power was destined to be transported to the rest of the country through the new interconnection.

For this tender, seven participants, including individual companies such as Iberdrola and China Electric Power Equipment and Technology, in addition to IEnova, the Riverstone fund, and ATCO, were pre-qualified for the tender.