Massive Yucatán Blackout Hits 2.2 Million People

Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico — A failure in the electrical supply occurred on Friday afternoon, lasting several hours across the three states of the Yucatán Peninsula and affecting more than 2.2 million people, according to official estimates. The outage also interrupted telephone and internet services.

According to the Secretary of Energy, the electrical failure began at 14:19 hours, Central Time, due to maintenance work on the 400 kV lines LT ESA A3Q20 / A3Q30 TIC with 2,174 MW. This affected 2 million 262 thousand users in the states of Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo.

“As a result of this event, 9 power plants from the southeast with 16 units went out of operation. Immediately, personnel from the Federal Electricity Commission, in coordination with the National Center for Energy Control, began work to restore the service,” the agency stated in a communiqué.

According to authorities, at 16:10 hours the restoration of electrical service began in most of Mérida and Valladolid, in Yucatán; as well as in Chetumal, Bacalar, Álvaro Obregón, and Holbox, in Quintana Roo; and in a large part of the state of Campeche, but as of that hour, work continued for its resumption.

“The Secretary of Energy, together with the CFE and the Cenace, maintain permanent monitoring of the situation. We reiterate that advances will be reported opportunely until the complete normalization of the electrical service in the region,” it stated.

Following the massive blackout, President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that the CFE had restored the electrical energy service in most of Mérida and Valladolid, Yucatán.

On social media, the President indicated that power had also been restored in Chetumal, Bacalar, Álvaro Obregón, and Holbox, in Quintana Roo, and in the majority of the state of Campeche. Later, she added that service was restored in José María Morelos, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, and Cozumel, in Quintana Roo. Meanwhile, Cancún registered 9% progress, and work continued in Tikul, Yucatán.

Rain Complicates Repairs

In some areas of Yucatán, the blackout lasted for nearly four hours. From shortly after 14:00 hours until around 18:00 hours, thousands of users in Mérida were affected by the service failure, which was gradually restored. However, the repair work being carried out by the Federal Electricity Commission was complicated due to a heavy rainstorm that occurred in the afternoon.

In Mérida, the electrical outage suspended internet and cellular telephone service, in addition to causing unusual traffic due to non-functioning traffic lights. There were also neighborhoods that lost water supply.

In the center of the state capital, businesses and private establishments were left unable to operate, and schools with afternoon sessions suspended classes. In the center of the state and rural areas, it was reported that the electrical supply took between two and three hours to return, with no incidents reported.

The Governor of Yucatán, Joaquín Díaz Mena, informed on his social media that he was in communication with the CFE, which indicated to him that it was working to repair the failure.

“All emergency teams in Yucatán remain active and in operation to attend to any situation that may arise,” the governor stated.

Before 8:00 p.m., the governor announced that the CFE had restored 100% of the electrical service throughout the state.

In Campeche, the State Police informed that a special operation was implemented in the streets.

“Given the general power failure and the lack of service from traffic lights, elements of Traffic and Roadways from the Secretary of Protection and Citizen Security implemented support actions at the main intersections, guaranteeing order and safety for pedestrians and drivers.”

No Major Disruptions Reported in Quintana Roo

The blackout left various cities in Quintana Roo without electrical supply, including Cancún, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Playa del Carmen.

From the early hours, the Governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama Espinosa, announced on her social media that the CFE had informed her that the interruption was due to an identified failure in the peninsula's electrical system, which affected service in different zones.

At the Cancún International Airport, the concessionaire Southeast Airport Group confirmed that a power cut occurred, although emergency power plants immediately went into operation, allowing for the continuity of flights and services in the terminals, without disruptions.

In urban areas, residents and businesses reported issues in homes, establishments, and with traffic lights.

“The traffic lights stopped working and great chaos ensued. Only gas stations and businesses that had electrical generators continued operating, but other establishments had to close because they had no way to process payments,” recounted an AFP collaborator in Cancún.

In that city, visited by millions of tourists each year, telephone service was interrupted for more than two hours in some neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, the head of operations for the CFE assured that as of that time there were no reports of disruption to the potable water supply or in hospitals.

As of 9:00 p.m., electrical service had been restored in 73% of Quintana Roo, with Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Puerto Morelos being the most affected areas.

In June 2022, an accident during maintenance work left 1.3 million people without electricity, also in the Yucatán Peninsula.