Mexico's CFE launches 24 energy infra tenders worth US$10bn

(This story was originally published on June 22nd)

Mexico's state utility CFE has launched tenders for 24 electricity and natural gas infrastructure projects worth US$9.8bn, including eight pipelines, one combined cycle and one geothermal power station, two wind farms and various transmission projects.

The projects will add 1,442MW to the country's electricity generation capacity; 2,385km to its natural gas pipeline network; 122km to the transmission network, and 2,962km to the distribution grid, CFE chief executive Enrique Ochoa Reza (pictured) announced at a press conference.

The pipelines include the 280km, US$420mn Tula-Villa de Reyes, transporting 550Mf3/d (15.5Mm2/d) between the states of Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí; the 355km, US$555mn Villa de Reyes-Aguascalientes-Guadalajara, transporting 28.3Mm3/d; and the 800km, US$3.1bn South Texas-Tuxpan undersea pipeline, transporting 73.6Mm3/d across the Gulf of Mexico seabed.

Also put out to tender are the 250km, US$1.5bn Nueces-Brownsville pipeline to transport 73.6Mm3/d across Texas; the 600km, US$1bn La Laguna-Aguascalientes pipeline to ship 32.5Mm3/d of natural gas across the states of Durango, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes; and the 20km Empalme, 48km Hermosillo and 32km Topolobampo pipeline stretches with a combined cost of US$158mn.

The tenders include the 25MW Phase II of Las Azufres geothermal project in Michoacán state at a cost of US$63mn, and the US$105mn Baja California VI internal combustion power plant in La Paz, both of which are slated to enter operations in 2Q18, as well as the US$864mn, 790MW San Luis Potosí combined cycle power plant, with a planned operational start-up in 2Q19.

The 585MW, US$1bn Sureste II and III wind farms in Ixtepec, Oaxaca, with a 4Q17 start-up date, are also included in the tender.

The tender also includes electricity substations in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora, and distribution lines aimed at reducing energy losses in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Morelos, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Veracruz, Mexico state and Mexico City.

The full list of projects can be seen here in Spanish.