The Baja California Sur state government plans to bring electricity to three off-grid Pacific islands using a hybrid system that combines solar panels with conventional power generation. Governor Víctor Castro Cosío announced the hybrid solar power project targeting Isla Margarita, Isla Magdalena, and Isla Natividad, all located along the state’s remote western coast.
The project is being led by SEPUIM, the state’s infrastructure and urban planning agency (Secretaría de Planeación Urbana, Infraestructura y Movilidad). Castro Cosío said the goal is to complete the work before his current administration ends in 2027.
Three Islands, Two Municipalities
Isla Margarita and Isla Magdalena sit in the Bahía Magdalena complex off Puerto San Carlos in the municipality of Comondú, roughly 260 kilometers northwest of La Paz. The bay is one of the most important gray whale calving grounds on the Pacific coast and a popular destination for whale watching tours from January through March. Both islands currently lack connection to the mainland power grid.
Isla Natividad lies farther north, off the coast near Bahía Tortugas in the municipality of Mulegé. The island is home to a small fishing cooperative known for its sustainable abalone and lobster harvests. Residents there have historically relied on diesel generators for electricity, a common but expensive arrangement for island communities that must ship fuel by boat.
Hybrid Systems for Remote Communities
The state described the planned system as “hybrid,” meaning it will pair solar photovoltaic panels with a backup conventional power source, likely diesel generators. This approach is standard for remote island electrification worldwide. Solar panels handle daytime demand and charge battery storage, while generators cover nighttime gaps or periods of heavy cloud cover.
For these Pacific islands, which receive intense sunlight for most of the year, solar generation is a practical fit. Shipping diesel to the islands is costly and logistically difficult, particularly during winter swells that can limit boat access to Isla Natividad.
What It Means for the Pacific Coast
The three islands are part of the broader network of small communities along the BCS Pacific coast that operate largely without the public infrastructure found on the mainland. Puerto San Carlos, the nearest port town for the Magdalena Bay islands, has grid electricity but serves as a remote outpost itself, about a four-hour drive from La Paz on Highway 22.
Reliable power on the islands could support cold storage for the fishing cooperatives, improve living conditions for residents, and make it easier for commercial tour operators to base seasonal whale watching and sportfishing trips from island camps. No budget figures or construction timeline details were included in the state announcement.
The story was first reported by BCS Noticias.