Baja California Sur plans to build a solar thermal power plant in a project the state values at 18 billion pesos. Governor Víctor Castro announced the plant at the first session of the State Energy Committee this week. The goal is to replace fossil fuels with solar power across the peninsula.
The plant will harness what state officials describe as BCS’s abundant solar potential. It will displace fuel oil, diesel, and natural gas from the state’s energy mix. Officials did not specify a construction site or timeline for completion.
Carolina Armenta, head of SEPUIMM, the state secretariat overseeing infrastructure and the environment, said the state has finished its Plan for a Just Energy Transition. That document will guide BCS energy policy going forward. Armenta said the plan addresses longstanding gaps in the state’s power infrastructure.
The state is also developing an Energy Atlas, a technical mapping tool that will identify where solar and other clean energy projects make the most sense. A separate rural electrification program will extend power to off-grid communities, including island settlements in the Sea of Cortés.
For expats and property owners in BCS, the announcement points toward more stable power supply in the medium term. Brownouts and voltage fluctuations are a familiar problem in Loreto, Mulegé, La Paz, and other communities that rely on aging diesel generation. A large solar thermal plant would reduce dependence on fuel imports, which fluctuate with the peso and global oil prices.
No private developer or federal partner was named in the announcement. It is not clear whether federal energy agency CFE, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, will operate the plant or whether the state seeks outside investors. Further details are expected as the project moves through planning stages.