Playa del Carmen Plans New Electrical Substation to Ease Blackouts

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Authorities have started planning a new electrical substation for Playa del Carmen to support future residential development and respond to the city’s recurring power outages, the head of the state’s urban development agency said.

Alberto Alonso Ovando, director of the Sustainable Territorial Urban Development Secretariat (Sedetus), said the substation is intended to provide power to housing projects planned by several developers. The effort is part of a broader plan that also includes potable water and drainage, with private companies pitching in to overcome current infrastructure limits in the city’s expanding areas.

Playa del Carmen regularly experiences blackouts lasting several hours in various parts of the city, especially in the northwestern zone, where most recently built subdivisions are concentrated.

“We are still in the planning phase and it is to give capacity to new developments that will be built in the future by various developers,” Ovando said. “It’s bringing everyone together, not only the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), but also potable water, drainage…”

The substation will be funded through private contributions prorated among developers in the area of influence, Ovando explained. The total cost of the project will be distributed equitably based on each developer’s projected needs, ensuring the financial burden is shared rather than falling on a single party.

Officials are currently working to determine the precise number of housing units that will be served, in order to adjust the project to the required load capacity.

The planning phase includes a detailed analysis of the quadrant where the infrastructure will be located, allowing all potential developers to be integrated from the outset and avoiding technical complications once the service is operational, Ovando said. He stressed that coordination between the CFE and private companies is essential to the success of this initial stage.

The new substation would be located in the northwestern part of Playa del Carmen.

“There is a need,” Ovando said. “It has to be resolved through private contributions, which developers later recover through fees they no longer pay because they already paid in advance.”