Mexico’s state-owned utility, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), has filed for an environmental impact permit to build and operate a new electrical substation in Komchén, a fast-expanding community on Mérida’s northern fringe — the latest step in an effort to keep up with one of Mexico’s fastest-growing cities.
The CFE submitted its request to Yucatán’s Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable (SDS), or Secretariat of Sustainable Development, for a project formally titled “Construcción y Operación de una Subestación Eléctrica en Komchén, Mérida I” — Construction and Operation of an Electrical Substation in Komchén, Mérida I. The site is a plot of 6,741 square meters (about 72,550 square feet) at lot 765 on Calle 53-E, between Calle 98-A, in the Fraccionamiento Las Américas II (Las Américas II subdivision).
According to documents published in Yucatán’s official state gazette, roughly 42 percent of the space will be devoted to electrical equipment. The rest will be divided among circulation areas, weed-control zones, concrete elements, a control booth, and perimeter curbing.
The SDS noted that CFE must meet all the requirements outlined in its environmental impact declaration and implement measures to reduce any effects on the surrounding area and population. Under state law, the filing is open for public review for five business days, during which residents and interested parties may propose additional prevention or mitigation measures. The documentation is available at SDS offices at No. 437 on Calle 64 in Mérida.
Why It Matters
The project may sound routine, but it comes at a critical moment for the Yucatán Peninsula’s power grid. Decades of underinvestment have left the peninsula physically isolated from Mexico’s National Interconnected System, a condition that makes its grid vulnerable to even minor fluctuations — substations overheat, transformers strain, and during peak summer demand, the system falters.
Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena has acknowledged that service failures are the result of decades of neglect and a lack of planning in electrical infrastructure development. The National Chamber of the Manufacturing Industry has echoed those concerns, pointing to insufficient transmission and distribution networks as a core part of the problem — not simply a shortage of generation capacity.
Mérida’s growth makes all of this more urgent. The metro area population reached approximately 1.26 million in 2025, up from 1.24 million the year before. New residential subdivisions have pushed steadily northward, with Komchén and adjacent developments absorbing a significant share of that growth.
Substations like the one proposed for Las Américas II are essential to the “last mile” of electricity delivery. As the CFE explains, these facilities transform and step down voltage so that homes, businesses, and offices receive power at usable levels. Locating them within or adjacent to residential zones reduces transmission losses and improves reliability.
The CFE has said that 145 transmission projects will begin operations this year, aimed at relieving grid congestion, transporting energy more efficiently, preventing overloads, and improving voltage control. The Komchén substation appears to be part of that broader push. For more on the peninsula’s energy challenges, Yucatán Magazine has covered the issue in depth.
Officials have also emphasized that access to electricity is a right, not a privilege, and have framed new infrastructure investment as both an immediate fix and a long-term commitment to the region.
Mérida is hardly alone in facing this kind of pressure. Across Mexico, mid-sized cities that have grown rapidly in recent years are scrambling to upgrade water, power, and transportation systems that were not designed for current demand levels.
What to Know
- Project name: Construcción y Operación de una Subestación Eléctrica en Komchén, Mérida I (Construction and Operation of an Electrical Substation in Komchén, Mérida I)
- Location: Lot 765, Calle 53-E between Calle 98-A, Fraccionamiento Las Américas II, Komchén, Mérida
- Total site area: 6,741 square meters (about 72,550 sq. ft.)
- Electrical area: 42 percent of the total footprint
- Filing agency: Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) — Mexico’s state utility
- Reviewing agency: Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable de Yucatán (SDS) — Yucatán’s Secretariat of Sustainable Development
- Public comment window: Five business days from publication in the state official gazette
- Where to review the filing: SDS offices, No. 437 Calle 64 between Calles 53 and 47-A, Mérida