Enhancing Energy Supply and Reliability in Baja California, Mexico

The 200 MW Altar plant and the 400 MW Mexicali Oriente plant are owned and operated by CFE, the Mexican state-owned utility, and they are part of CFE´s Strategic Plan for Baja California to guarantee the sufficiency of the electricity supply in this region.

The handovers took place in June 2023 and are now fully operational. Both projects are also supported by a three-year Wärtsilä Guaranteed Asset Performance (GAP), to secure the two plants’ output reliability and availability.

These plants are important for the northwest region of Mexico. Electricity demand during the summer months in the Baja California Peninsula grows significantly as temperatures can rise to as much as 50 degrees C.

The two plants are needed to offset this increase in demand and will supply baseload energy 24/7 during the summer months. The Baja California system remains isolated from the national grid, and the electricity supply was earlier covered by emergency power tenders. The Wärtsilä power plants provide CFE with the system stability needed with high efficiency and at a competitive consumer cost.

Who	Mexico´s Federal Electricity Commission
What	400 MW Mexicali Oriente power plant/ 200 MW Altar power plant
Where	Mexicali, Baja California / San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora; Mexico
How	Wärtsilä 18V50DF / 20V34DF flexible baseload power plant

This is what we achieved

600

MW of electrical output

50+

C degree dispatch with minimal impact on power output

24/7

baseload energy supply during the summer months

We were able to deliver, build, and commission these two very large power plants in well under two years from receipt of the order, even during a global supply chain crisis. This says a lot about Wärtsilä’s project management capabilities.
Risto Paldanius, VP Wärtsilä Americas

How we did it

Challenge

Tight deadline
Need for efficient baseload
Strict emission regulations

Solution

NOX-tunes engine configuration
Fast-track delivery
Wärtsilä long term service agreement since COD

Benefit

Uninterrupted generation
Fuel savings, educed emissions
Start generation as soon as possible

Questions? Contact us

The main details

Customer	Mexico´s Federal Electricity Commission	Mexico´s Federal Electricity Commission
Type	Wärtsilä 18V50DF flexible baseload power plant	Wärtsilä 20V34DF flexible baseload power plant
Where	Mexicali, Baja California; Mexico	San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora; Mexico
Total output	400 MW	200 MW
Fuel	LFO	Natural gas
Scope	Engineering, procurement, Construction (EPC)	Engineering, procurement, Construction (EPC)
Delivery	2022	2022