Heat Wave Sweeping Mexico

An electricity demand surge due to a heatwave affecting Mexico resulted in power outages in 21 states. The North American country Mexico is negatively impacted by extreme heat. High demand straining the national electricity grid due to the heat caused a large part of the country to be left without power. The National Energy Control Center (CENACE) declared a state of emergency on Tuesday when power outages were experienced in 21 out of the country’s 32 states. Power outages lasting up to five hours led to issues in water supply and alarm systems. According to data from the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), water storage levels in the Cutzamala system, an important source of drinking water for Mexico City and its surroundings, dropped below 31%. Experts described this level as ‘critically low’.

Statements from the President of Mexico

‘This was an unexpected extraordinary event,’ said the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, attributing the widespread power outages to the above-average temperatures compared to seasonal norms. Emphasizing that the national grid has sufficient production capacity, Obrador stated that the government will also coordinate with private energy producers responsible for about half of Mexico’s electricity production. Pointing out the scorching heatwave affecting some regions of the country, Obrador said, ‘This was an unexpected extraordinary event. However, we will be very cautious against this special situation.’ The National Meteorological Service (SMN) warned that temperatures would exceed 40 degrees Celsius in 20 states.