Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A local council member has accused the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) of showing no interest in investing in infrastructure to end recurring blackouts in Playa del Carmen and across Quintana Roo.
The accusation came a day after dozens of residents from the Villas del Sol neighborhood blocked roads to protest power outages. Councilman Juan Novelo Zapata said CFE has failed to make the necessary investments to keep up with the city’s rapid population growth.
“The main problem is the lack of local infrastructure,” Novelo said. “We urgently need more electrical substations to guarantee efficient service.”
He called it “lamentable” that blackouts continue to plague a tourist destination of international stature.
“The Federal Electricity Commission is not interested in this world-class municipality, not interested in the citizens of Playa del Carmen. CFE, which depends on the federal government, has not resolved this problem, which happens every year,” he said.
Novelo also noted that residents now face higher electricity bills after the removal of subsidies.
“This service from CFE is terrible. I hope federal authorities act immediately. This is the responsibility of the federal government to invest in this state-owned utility so it can provide better attention to the people of Playa del Carmen, not just in our municipality but throughout Quintana Roo,” he added.
Saturday’s blackout in Villas del Sol is the latest in a series of power failures that have pushed residents to block major avenues in recent months, demanding permanent solutions to the erratic electricity service.
