Mexico's CFE Plans to Commission 5.48 GW of Solar Projects by 2030

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission (Comisión Federal de Electricidad, CFE) has released its 2026–2030 development plan, proposing investments of 651 billion Mexican pesos (approximately $32.9 billion) in power generation, transmission, and distribution, adding 18.6 GW of new generation capacity, of which renewables account for 82%. Investment in the generation segment totals 467.3 billion Mexican pesos (approximately $23.4 billion), covering 52 projects. The plan proposes the development of battery energy storage but sets no specific storage capacity or investment targets.

According to the document, 15.2 GW (82%) of the planned new generation capacity comes from technologies classified by CFE as renewable, including 1.69 GW of cogeneration projects, which the company places in this category because they produce no polluting emissions. The remaining 3.39 GW comes primarily from new combined-cycle power plants.

Most of the new renewable capacity will be developed under hybrid investment models, bringing in private-sector participation. Through these arrangements, CFE plans to build approximately 13.8 GW of renewable energy projects, dominated by solar and wind.

On the solar front, the plan identifies 30 hybrid-investment photovoltaic plants totaling 4.9 GW, scheduled to connect to the grid between 2028 and 2030. Phases III and IV of the Puerto Peñasco solar plant in Sonora are also included in the plan, adding a combined 580 MW and expected to enter operation in 2028. Based on this tally, the total capacity of solar projects explicitly confirmed in the plan stands at 5.48 GW.

For other technology routes, the plan also includes eight hybrid-investment wind projects totaling 3.13 GW, 582 MW of geothermal capacity, two concentrated solar power (CSP) projects totaling 150 MW, and 4.15 GW of hybrid-investment projects whose technology route has yet to be determined.

The Electric Sector Development Program (PLADESE), included in the same document by CFE, shows that solar is the main source of expected new capacity in Mexico's National Electric System (SEN). By 2030, solar generation will add 12.31 GW, accounting for 44% of the 28 GW of new capacity planned for the system; wind will add 6.58 GW; and combined-cycle plants will contribute 5.44 GW.

As of December 2025, Mexico's grid-connected solar capacity stood at 8.44 GW, approximately 9% of the national total of 91.07 GW. Of this, CFE directly holds 433 MW of solar capacity. In 2025, the company added approximately 307 MW of solar capacity, mainly from the commissioning of the Nachi-Cocom plant and the completion of Phase II of the Puerto Peñasco project.