PAN Regidor Demands CFE Invest in Infrastructure and Cut Rates After Playa del Carmen Blackouts

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Recurring power outages in Playa del Carmen will not be solved with emergency repairs alone, according to a local opposition councilman who is calling on the federal electricity utility to invest in new infrastructure and substations.

Juan Novelo Zapata, a member of the municipal council from the National Action Party (PAN), said the blackouts have persisted despite funds that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) says it has earmarked for the city.

“The state-owned company supposedly invested 162 million pesos in Playa del Carmen. We don’t see it, we don’t see that investment benefiting the population,” he said.

Novelo Zapata urged the utility to disclose where those funds have been applied and to speed up projects designed to increase power supply capacity, particularly given the city’s rapid residential growth.

He also questioned the timelines proposed for bringing new electrical infrastructure online, arguing that the current situation requires solutions on a shorter timetable.

“What we need is for this company to invest, but to invest well, in better infrastructure and more substations,” he said.

The comments come after a series of outages that have affected neighborhoods across Playa del Carmen and at times led residents to block streets to demand the restoration of service.

Novelo Zapata acknowledged that officials from all three levels of government have begun addressing the issue with CFE, but criticized the fact that action came only after protests. “The people are tired, you’ve seen it, they’ve closed the streets,” he said.

In that context, he sharpened his criticism of the federal administration. “This government of the Fourth Transformation is failing the people. It is failing the people,” he said.

Beyond investment, the councilman called for a review of electricity rates in Quintana Roo, saying the cost of service is an increasing burden on families.

He cited examples of users whose bills, in the cases he referenced, jumped from around 1,800 to 2,000 pesos to between 3,600 and 4,500 pesos.

Novelo Zapata added that the high temperatures recorded in Quintana Roo should be part of any discussion on revising tariff classifications and subsidies for consumers.