MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Widespread recent power outages in Mexico were caused by unseasonably hot weather, the country’s president said yesterday, assuring consumers that the national grid has sufficient generating capacity going forward.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters at a regular government press conference that his government will also coordinate with private power producers, responsible for about half of Mexico’s electricity generation.
Around 20 of Mexico’s 32 states were affected by Tuesday’s rolling power outages, according to data from grid operator CENACE analyzed by Reuters.
On Wednesday morning, net national power demand totaled around 44.9 gigawatts (GW), just under a net generation of 45.0 GW.
“This was something exceptional that was not expected,” said Lopez Obrador, pointing in particular to a heat wave scorching parts of the country.
“But we’re going to be very attentive to this special situation we’re dealing with,” he added.