At a meeting in Mexico City, Ignacio Galán, who is in Mexico on the occasion of the state visit by the King and Queen of Spain, and the CEO of CFE, Enrique Ochoa Reza, have addressed the outlines of the different action areas which coincide with the core strategy of the energy reform implemented by President Peña Nieto: replacing old, expensive and polluting power generation plants with facilities that are more economically efficient and environmentally friendly; the search of competitive solutions for energy storage, a key factor in the development of renewable energies; and optimizing the exploitation of gas resources in Mexico.
Among the projects analyzed by Enrique Ochoa and Ignacio Galán is the Tamazunchale II combined cycle power plant, where the potential collaboration would include the construction of the plant’s interconnection to the national grid, the supply of natural gas and, possibly, the purchase of the power produced at the plant.
IBERDROLA and CFE will also share experiences and best practices in the field of pumped-storage hydroelectricity in which IBERDROLA is the world leader, with 3,500 MW installed capacity in Spain and the UK. The potential for hydropower development in Mexico is reflected in the construction of 2,800 MW under the country’s energy planning. Currently, pumped-storage is the technology that allows for the largest scale and most competitive energy storage, providing greater security of supply and thus becoming the ideal complement to other renewable sources.
With regards to optimizing the exploitation of gas resources, the agreement provides for the preferential supply of natural gas to IBERDROLA by the CFE in new projects as well as the joint management of upcoming contracts. IBERDROLA is studying the feasibility of several combined-cycle and cogeneration power projects totaling more than 3,000 MW of installed capacity.
