Mexico’s thermoelectric power plant in Guerrero, Petacalco. Photo: Google

By KELIN DILLON

After more than 28 years in service, Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) shut down its Petacalco plant in the state of Guerrero — the second-most important power plant in the country — temporarily due to a lack of oil brought on from a train track blockade in Michoacán.

First going into service in 1993, the Guerrero CFE plant has a capacity of 2,778 megawatts of electricity and serves a large portion of the south of Mexico. Now, without oil, all services rendered by Petacalco will come to a halt for the time being.

Petacalco was previously run on coal and its transition into being a fuel-operated facility has likewise led to issues for the plant, as much equipment left behind from the coal-heavy days is incompatible with oil and has caused major damage to units throughout the facility, repairs that experts estimate will cost 10 to 15 million pesos per unit.

Now, the south of Mexico remains with a major depletion in its energy supply, right as other plants across the region are set to go under maintenance.