SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCÍA, NL – Energy capacity has become one of the factors limiting industrial expansion in Mexico. Although the country has electricity generation capacity , limitations in transmission and distribution networks make it difficult for energy to reach industrial centers in a timely manner, which can hinder investment, delay projects, and jeopardize the arrival of new businesses.
During the conference “Energy Capacity: From Bottleneck to Competitive Advantage” , at the 51st National Index Convention of the National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (Index Nacional) , Monte Mickle, CEO of M2 Energy , warned that the main challenge for companies is not necessarily in producing electricity, but in having the infrastructure that allows it to reach their facilities.
The executive explained that this problem is already having repercussions in different regions of the country, particularly in manufacturing corridors and industrial parks linked to export activity, where some companies are facing difficulties in obtaining the necessary electrical capacity to expand their operations.
“The problem is how to deliver this energy. The problem lies with the transmission and distribution networks,” Mickle pointed out, explaining that having an industrial building does not guarantee that a company can begin operating if it does not have the required electricity supply.
This situation also alters investment decisions. Previously, companies first sought to acquire land, a building, or a client, and then addressed their energy needs. However, given the current restrictions, Mickle believes that electrical planning must be incorporated from the earliest stages of any expansion project .
The challenge takes on added relevance in a context where Mexico seeks to take advantage of North American productive integration and attract new manufacturing investments.
Mickle noted that US, European, and Asian companies considering setting up operations in the country already consider energy availability among their top priorities, along with delivery times for industrial facilities.
In that sense, he put the problem into perspective by sharing that 91% of the country’s companies experienced some type of power outage in the last 12 months .
The problems are concentrated in northern Mexican states such as Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Sonora and Baja California, areas of high maquiladora activity.
These incidents not only represent supply failures, but also a risk to the continuity of industrial operations, as they can cause production delays, delivery failures and disruptions to business activity .
According to the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks (AMPIP) , the 477 parks currently operating in the country require an installed capacity of 17,708 megawatts (MW) , while the 103 parks under construction will demand another 3,456 MW between 2026 and 2029.
The executive also questioned why the resources allocated to the electricity sector don’t necessarily translate into solutions for industrial users. He explained that a significant portion of the announced projects and budgets are focused on generation, while the most pressing needs of companies are related to transmission and distribution .
According to the specialist, waiting times to obtain a connection or expand capacity exceed 18 months in several corridors, and the delivery of equipment such as transformers can take up to 36 months.
Another point highlighted at the event was the growth of data centers , whose electricity demand is beginning to compete with that of industrial parks and manufacturing plants for available capacity in transmission networks.
Some data center facilities require around 100 MW, while a substation serving an industrial park of approximately 30,000 square meters can handle between 30 and 50 MW, Mickle explained.
The difference reflects the scale of data center requirements, driven by information storage, cloud services, and the development of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, these projects have significant financial resources to ensure their energy capacity, which intensifies competition for available connections.
Market figures support the scale of this demand. According to the Mexican Data Center Association (MEXDC) , Mexico has 279 MW of installed data center capacity, another 205 MW are under construction during 2026, and the sector’s requirements could reach 1.73 gigawatts (GW) by 2031.
This growth presents an additional challenge for the manufacturing industry, as both sectors require electrical infrastructure to realize their expansion plans. In this regard, Mickle believes that companies must anticipate their energy needs and not wait for public infrastructure projects to meet their requirements.
Self-consumption and planning, alternatives for the industry
Given this scenario, the executive suggested that companies should evaluate schemes that complement conventional supply, including cogeneration, gas-fired generation systems, solar panels, and storage batteries.
He cited as an example the model used by some data centers, which combine grid power supply with on-site generation to provide redundancy and reduce the risk of outages.
According to Mickle, these types of alternatives can also be part of the strategy of industrial parks and manufacturing companies , provided that the needs of each facility and the technical and economic viability of the solutions are analyzed.
He also recommended that companies review their current energy consumption, the power factor of their facilities, and their projected electricity requirements for the coming years. In some cases, he said, making adjustments can allow them to make better use of existing capacity without relying exclusively on new connections.
“We need to think about 2030. Right now,” he said, insisting that companies must incorporate energy investments into their budgets and growth plans now, instead of waiting until a new expansion materializes.
Mickle recommended reducing dependence on the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and taking advantage of alternatives such as self-consumption, allowed up to 20 MW, as well as the transfer of capacity from substations with surpluses.
On June 24, the federal government announced an electricity expansion plan that will allocate 739 billion pesos (mdp) to add 32,000 MW of generation capacity to the National Electric System before the end of the six-year term in 2030, of which 70% will come from renewable sources such as photovoltaic solar, wind, solar thermal, geothermal and hydroelectric.
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