In Yucatan the kilowatt of electric power is 25 to 30 pesos more expensive than in the north of the country, due to the complications to bring natural gas to the Peninsula in order to generate electricity.
However, by the end of this year, the rates in Yucatan could be homologated with those in the north of Mexico, if the construction of the gas pipeline that will run from Texas to Tuxpan, Veracruz is completed, and the capacity to pump natural gas back and forth is increased through the Zempoala plant.
In this regard, the leader of the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Canacintra), Alberto Abraham Xacur, stated that the Energy Secretariat made the commitment to approve tariffs after the conclusion of the following projects: the Texas-Tuxpan pipeline, the bidirectionality of the Zempoala plant, and the incorporation of the Mayakan gas pipeline into the national gas pipeline system.
“These are the three projects that are needed to achieve the homologation of electricity rates or at least that was the promise made to us by the Energy Secretariat. The Secretariat promised that when we had sufficient natural gas in Yucatan (in quantity and quality), the tariffs will be homologated with the rest of the country, ” Abraham Xacur recalled.
The business leader trusted that the conditions for the homologation of the tariffs will be given by the end of this year, and stated that until now, the Federal Energy Secretariat has complied with the steps proposed.
Abraham Xacur said that, out of the three projects that need to be completed, two are already finalized.
One of these is the pipeline system that comes from Texas, all the way down to Tuxpan, Veracruz; which will bring natural gas at a very low price. The gas comes from Texas, United States.
He added that the second project is the bidirectionality of the Zempoala plant in which the gas is received and pumped into the national gas pipeline system.
Currently, from that point natural gas can be sent to the center and north of the country, and now that they have it operating in two directions, the system will be capable of sending the product to southeast Mexico.
Only one third of the project is still pending, which is the connection of the pipelines of the National Gas System with the Mayakan gas pipeline, for which the construction of 17 kilometers of pipeline is necessary.
Meanwhile, the president of the National Chamber of Commerce of Merida (Canacome), Michel Salum Francis, said that increasing the flow of natural gas to Yucatan will also solve the blackouts that affect the State, so the conclusion of the construction of the Southern Texas-Tuxpan gas pipeline, is a good advance for the supply of fuel to the southeast region.
“This will allow the supply of natural gas to Yucatan to be constant, and the generation of electric power will be much more efficient” Salum Francis concluded.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom
