Power Outages in Northern Mexico
Multiple states in northern Mexico – Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Zacatecas – experienced power outages due to disruptions in natural gas supply to central electric plants.
According to a statement from the Sistema Operador nacional del Sistema Eléctrico (CENACE), the operator of the Mexican national electric system, the outages were caused by insufficient natural gas supply from Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) on January 21, 2024. CENACE Statement (January 21, 2024). PEMEX acknowledged issues with gas production and distribution, attributing them to the cold front.
As of January 22, 2024, power had been restored to most areas, but CENACE warned of potential for further disruptions if gas supply issues persist. CENACE Statement (january 21, 2024).
Cold Front Number 30
Cold Front Number 30 is currently impacting northeastern, eastern, and southeastern Mexico, bringing with it a range of severe weather conditions.
The Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN), mexico’s national weather service, forecasts that the cold front will cause freezing temperatures, rainfall, hail, strong winds, and snowfall in mountainous regions.SMN Forecast (January 22, 2024). Specifically, the states of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Durango, chihuahua, Coahuila, and Zacatecas are expected to experiance the most important impacts.
The SMN issued warnings for potential frost in several states, which could affect agricultural production. For example, the state of nuevo León experienced temperatures as low as -5°C in some areas on January 22, 2024. SMN Forecast (January 22,2024).
Related Entities
- CENACE (Sistema Operador Nacional del sistema Eléctrico): Official website - The independant system operator responsible for operating the Mexican national electric system.
- PEMEX (Petróleos Mexicanos): Official Website – The Mexican state-owned petroleum company responsible for natural gas supply.
- SMN (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional): Official Website – Mexico’s national weather service.
- CONAGUA (Comisión Nacional del Agua): Official Website – Mexico’s National Water Commission.
