Baja California Sur Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío announced plans to extend electrical service to two rural communities that currently lack reliable grid access. Puerto Chale, south of La Paz, and La Candelaria, in the municipality of Los Cabos, will receive new power lines through a combined investment of more than 66 million pesos (roughly $3.7 million USD).
The governor made the announcement following meetings with municipal officials, SEDATU (the federal Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development), and CFE (the Federal Electricity Commission, Mexico’s state-owned power utility). Both projects are currently in the surveying, ejido land negotiation, and permitting phase.
Two Projects, 434 New Connections
Puerto Chale, a small fishing community on the Pacific coast roughly 150 kilometers south of La Paz, will receive 24.5 kilometers of medium-voltage power line. That project carries a price tag of 27.98 million pesos (about $1.56 million USD) and will serve 323 electrical connections.
La Candelaria, a remote community in the Sierra de la Laguna foothills within the Los Cabos municipality, will get 21.91 kilometers of three-phase aerial line. Its budget is 38.93 million pesos (approximately $2.17 million USD) for 111 connections. The higher per-connection cost reflects the rugged terrain between La Candelaria and the nearest grid infrastructure.
Three-Way Cost Split Could Speed Timeline
The financing model divides costs three ways: 35% from the state government, 35% from the respective municipal government, and 30% from CFE. This structure differs from projects funded solely through federal programs, which often face longer approval cycles and budget delays. By splitting costs locally, the state aims to move both projects through construction more quickly.
Rural electrification remains a persistent challenge across Baja California Sur. The state’s geography, with vast stretches of desert and mountain terrain separating small communities, makes grid extension expensive. Many ranching and fishing settlements in BCS still rely on solar panels, generators, or no electricity at all.
No official construction start date has been announced. Both projects must first clear ejido negotiations, the communal land agreements required under Mexican law when infrastructure crosses collectively held territory. The announcement was first reported by the BCS state government at bcs.gob.mx.