The CFE strengthens its generation park in the Baja California electrical system to avoid interruptions in seasons of higher demand

The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) strengthens its generation park in the Baja California Electric System (BCA) with the construction and commissioning of the Mexicali Oriente Internal Combustion Central (CCI) project. The main objective of this project is to meet the growing demand for electricity in the short term in the area of ​​the State of Baja California and part of the State of Sonora. With its entry into operation, the conditions of low generation capacity reserve, which occurs in the periods from June to September, will be reduced, and interruptions in the electricity service in summer will be mitigated.

The project has an approximate investment of 379 million dollars and contemplates boosting the economy of the Mexicali Valley area with the cumulative hiring, as of August 2022, of 2,086 workers in the region. The plant will have 24 new internal combustion engines, capable of producing electricity using natural gas and diesel, which provides operational flexibility in any situation that may arise in the BCA.

The internal combustion engines will produce an electrical power of 18.54 megawatts (MW) each, for a total guaranteed capacity in summer of 429 MW. It is estimated that the assembly, testing stage and commissioning will conclude on May 15, 2023, with a view to its entry into operation in the Emergency Corrective Protocol on June 1, 2023.

The engines, manufactured in the city of Trieste, Italy, at the Wärtsilä facility, began their factory acceptance tests in December 2021 and finished with the last engine in August 2022. They were transported by sea, through 10,659 miles nautical from the port of Trieste, Italy, to the port of Ensenada, Baja California; the last shipment arrived in September 2022.

To date, 19 engines have been transferred by land to the city of Mexicali, Baja California, where the project site is located; It is estimated that the transfer will be completed on October 13, 2022.

The development of this project is part of the CFE’s commitment to mitigate the generation deficit in the area and promote economic growth in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors in the Mexicali Valley.