Two senior executives of companies that supply clean energy to the Yucatan Peninsula explained the difficulties in expanding the distribution of this vital input for the state’s industrial development.
(Diario de Yucatán).- The Vice President of Government Affairs and Sustainability of Engie Mexico, Ana Laura Ludlow Echeverría, gave a conference at the national convention of Canacintra, where she revealed that in four years of having received the concession from the Energy Regulatory Commission to supply natural gas to residences, industries, and businesses, she has only 100 residential customers and 40 contracts with industries and businesses, mainly because Yucatán does not have a culture of using natural gas at home, This is mainly because Yucatán does not have a culture of using natural gas at home, due to the opposition of some inhabitants who believe that it is an unsafe supply and perhaps because of the opposition of the traditional gas companies who see their market threatened.
He also revealed that the construction of the expansion of the Mayakán pipeline to double the volume of the molecule in Yucatán has not yet begun because there is a delay in the construction of the two CFE electricity generating plants, one in Merida and the other in Valladolid, and although Engie signed an agreement with the CFE and the private company has the resources for the construction of this overland pipeline network, which will go from Macuspana, Tabasco, to Valladolid, Yucatan, “we do not know who is going to do it”.
The delay in the construction of the second Mayakán pipeline, which will be 700 kilometers long, prevents greater industrial growth in Yucatán because the current pipeline, which was built 20 years ago, is at its maximum capacity and only sends 250 million cubic feet of natural gas daily, mainly for the consumption of CFE plants.
The other new pipeline will run parallel to Mayakán I and would double the current natural gas capacity, which would encourage investments and the arrival of industries, since it is a cheaper fuel compared to the fossil fuels used today.
The most worrying aspect, according to Engie’s vice-president, is that the French company is committed to supplying 80,000 homes in Mérida, Kanasín, Umán, Progreso and Ucú. In the first 5 years Engie must have 16,000 users connected to its residential pipelines and in the next 20 years it will incorporate the remaining users. If it does not meet this goal, the CRE may lower the tariffs.
Benefits of a gas pipeline in Yucatán
In Yucatán it has the support and willingness of the state and municipal governments to extend the network, but the inhabitants still do not know the benefits and that it is a lower cost and very safe service, compared to liquefied gas.
Engie is designing strategies to instill confidence in the inhabitants and will soon involve the academy for an awareness plan with real demonstrations, testimonials from satisfied users and more constant information.
“This demand for greater volume is due to the industrial growth in Yucatan. Engie wants to accompany the strategy of this industrial Yucatan and needs to increase the capacity of the pipeline.
He recalled that Engie built a new 16-kilometer pipeline in 2020 called Cuxtal 1, with which they connected the Mayakán with the national pipeline system and therefore increased the supply of natural gas to Yucatán and now receives a low proportion of imported natural gas, which is of better quality.
He said that Engie has invested around 4 billion Mexican pesos in infrastructure and the company’s commitment is to continue developing infrastructure to increase the supply of this clean energy.
Clean energy in Yucatan
Rodrigo Sánchez, director of Vive Energía Solar, stated that the Yucatán Peninsula has enormous potential for the generation of renewable energy from solar and wind sources, but the lack of release of permits for projects registered with the CRE prevents the construction and increase of clean energy production.
He said that the federal government hides the real cost of energy generation through subsidies, it is expensive to produce because it uses more expensive and polluting fuels and yet it does not release the permits to build electrical infrastructure and ensure low costs in the long term.
He also considered that there is a risk of a 119% increase in electricity tariffs because 70% of energy is produced with fossil fuels. If the tariff were to rise, businessmen would create their own generation sources so as not to continue to be colonized by the CFE, he said.
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