Yucatan Blackout Sparks National Grid Fears

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico — A massive power outage left over two million users across Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo in the dark, raising serious questions and fears about the potential for a total collapse of the national electrical system. The incident has prompted calls from citizens and experts for transparency from the federal government regarding the true state of the national electrical grid to prevent further losses to Mexico's productive sector.

Million-Dollar Losses and Sectoral Impact

The financial losses are immense. As one of the hardest-hit sectors, the restaurant industry across the peninsula reported losses exceeding 100 million pesos across the three affected states. The failure occurred at the start of the weekend on a Friday, one of the busiest days for establishments. The lack of power prevented businesses from operating their computer systems and, furthermore, caused the spoilage of raw food materials.

A report from past dates indicates a decrease in the Mexican government's investment in electrical infrastructure, which allegedly occurred due to prioritizing projects favored in the 4T agenda. This shift in focus is said to have resulted in a lack of investment in basic services like electricity.

Alternative Theories Challenge Official Narrative

While the official narrative offered a technical explanation, an alternative reading of the blackout emerged on social media. Users questioned the government's version and attributed the event to more structural and political causes.

Mario Di Costanzo, a former federal deputy and former head of the Condusef, was one of the first to point to a possible financial origin of the collapse. He stated that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) carries a debt of more than 82 billion pesos with its suppliers, which could have compromised adequate maintenance of the electrical grid.

For the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), the public company's debt with contractors was 78.5 billion pesos at the close of the second quarter of 2024, representing an annual growth of 14.5%. Although there is no direct evidence linking this liability to the specific failure on September 26, the theory has gained traction.

Other versions pointed to an alleged misprioritization of public spending, suggesting that resources allocated to projects like the Tren Maya had relegated electrical infrastructure to a secondary position. "They turned off Yucatan to turn on the Train," one user quipped, accompanied by an allusive cartoon.

Other social media users alluded to problems with the quality of gas used in the region or even the theft and diversion of fuel to Cuba as factors that could be weakening the national energy capacity.

Some argued that due to the closure of customs, the entry of fuel from the United States into Mexico has been reduced following the "Huachicol Fiscal" scandal that erupted in recent months, and this has caused a shortage of fuel in the peninsula's thermoelectric plants. This argument relates to previous incidents in 2025, when the use of poor-quality gas caused failures in generating plants located in Campeche, Merida, Valladolid, and Cancun.

Primary Causes of the Blackout

The primary cause of the blackouts in the Yucatan Peninsula was a failure in an electricity transmission line, according to official versions. This occurred during maintenance work and caused several generating plants to go offline, affecting Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.

Other general factors that have caused blackouts on other occasions include overloads, weather phenomena, and other problems in the infrastructure.

Details of the September 26, 2025 Blackout

• Origin: A technical failure in an electricity transmission line.
• Moment: Occurred while maintenance work was being performed.
• Impact: Caused nine power generation plants to go offline, resulting in the interruption of electrical supply in Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.
• Restoration: Power was gradually restored, with service returning in cities like Merida and Valladolid, and progress in others like Cancun.

Other General Causes of Blackouts

• Technical Failures: Problems in electrical infrastructure, which can include failures in substations.
• Weather Phenomena: Storms, hurricanes, strong winds, and lightning can damage electrical infrastructure, as mentioned by Acis Energia.
• Overloads: An excess in electricity demand can lead to service interruption.
• Generation and Transmission Capacity: A growing energy demand that exceeds generation and transmission capacity can, on occasion, be an underlying cause, as mentioned in EcoFlow.
• Problems in Fuel Supply: In the past, the poor quality of fuels like natural gas has also affected power generation and caused blackouts in the southeast.

Political Criticism and Public Distrust

Finally, political criticism was not long in coming. Some users ridiculed the official narrative, making reference to government figures like "Madame Zassu" or "el chueco" and accusing the regime of failing to keep its promise to prevent blackouts.

Although the official cause remains a technical failure during maintenance, the public conversation has made it clear that there is growing distrust towards the government's energy management. Di Costanzo's theory, backed by figures, has put the impact of debt on the national electrical system on the table, while other versions express widespread discontent over the lack of investment, transparency, and prevention.

For now, the CFE and the Presidency insist that service has been completely restored, but the questions about the true state of the electrical infrastructure remain ignited.