Baja California’s state energy director told the press on Wednesday, May 13 that widespread power failures across Mexicali this week were not “blackouts” but merely “interruptions,” drawing criticism from residents who lost electricity during dangerous heat.
Joaquín Gutiérrez, director of the Baja California Energy Commission, made the semantic distinction after outages hit multiple neighborhoods on Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures in the state capital exceeded 40°C (104°F) both days, with a record reading of 46.9°C (116°F) reported just days earlier.
Outages Knocked Out Government Buildings
The Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Mexico’s state power utility, confirmed that at 12:36 p.m. on May 13, two circuits at the Centro substation failed. The outage cut power to both the state and municipal government buildings in downtown Mexicali, along with surrounding areas.
The failures on Monday and Tuesday affected homes and businesses across the city. Mexicali sits in the Sonoran Desert, where summer temperatures routinely exceed 43°C (110°F), and air conditioning is not a luxury but a necessity for survival. The grid faces peak strain each year as cooling demand surges.
Governor Says CFE Chief Canceled Visit
Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda said CFE director Emilia Esther Calleja had been expected to visit Mexicali but canceled due to scheduling conflicts. The governor said Calleja committed to increased infrastructure investment in the capital, though she offered no specific figures or timelines.
The power crisis in Mexicali is not new. The city’s grid has buckled under heat-driven demand in previous years, and CFE infrastructure in the Mexicali Valley has long been considered insufficient for the region’s growing population and extreme climate. Mexico faced a similar nationwide crisis in May 2024, when rolling blackouts hit 20 of the country’s 32 states during an early heat wave.
What Residents Should Know
The state government’s insistence on softer language did little to change conditions on the ground. Whether called blackouts or interruptions, the power losses left residents without air conditioning during potentially lethal heat. Health authorities in Mexicali typically advise keeping bottled water on hand, staying indoors during peak afternoon hours, and having battery-powered fans or other backup cooling options available.
More outages are likely as Mexicali enters its hottest months. June through September routinely bring highs above 43°C, with July and August peaks sometimes approaching 49°C (120°F).
This story was first reported by Semanario ZETA.