700 Generators Fail in Quintana Roo Blackout

Quintana Roo, Mexico — A widespread power outage has revealed the failure of approximately 700 small emergency generator plants in the northern part of the state to become operational, despite a total investment of 194.39 million pesos. The finding was confirmed by Eugenio Ramírez Ríos, president of the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (CIME) of Quintana Roo.

Inactive Equipment

According to the specialist, the equipment, each with a low-voltage capacity of 480 volts that is elevated to medium and high voltage, was distributed across three strategic nodes: 40 megawatts (MW) in Kantenah, 40 MW in Nizuc, and 40 MW in Cozumel. The objective was to have an electrical backup for heat waves, weather contingencies, or peaks in demand from urban growth.

However, last Friday's massive blackout on the Yucatán Peninsula demonstrated that the equipment is inactive. "If they were functioning, the impact in Quintana Roo would have been lesser, but you would have to ask the CFE why they are not started up. The plants are lying around without functioning, useless," Ramírez Ríos criticized.

The underlying problem, he warned, is that the Peninsula remains practically isolated from the National Interconnected System. "Escárcega (in Campeche) is the nerve center, the link with the rest of the country. As long as those transmission lines are not reinforced, Quintana Roo will remain vulnerable," he explained.

Doubts Over Project Planning and Execution

The installation of capacitor banks in seven substations in the northern zone of the state is part of the 2025-2030 Generation Expansion Plan by the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace), but they have also not become operational.

The lack of results generates doubts about the planning and execution of strategic projects that, on paper, seek to stabilize the electrical grid of the Mexican Caribbean. With a tourism sector highly dependent on electrical energy, the lack of reliable backup directly impacts the destination's competitiveness. Hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and businesses face the constant risk of blackouts during the high season.

Federal authorities have insisted that the Peninsula will be a priority for strengthening energy infrastructure. However, in light of the recent outages and the idleness of newly acquired equipment, the official discourse contrasts with reality.

Energy Vulnerability After the Blackout

For specialists like Ramírez Ríos, the explanation is clear: there is a lack of coordination and will to put the already completed investments into operation. "The question is why spend almost 200 million pesos on equipment that remains inactive while the population and the productive sector suffer from blackouts," he questioned.

Last Friday's episode made it evident that the energy vulnerability of Quintana Roo persists, and that expansion plans, without real execution, end up being dead letter in a region where every minute without electricity represents million-dollar losses, he concluded.