Centro Morelos (Huexca) power station

Part of the Global Gas Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor and Center for Media and Democracy project.

Centro Morelos (Huexca) power station is a 622-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant, under construction (as of June 2019) in Huexca in the state of Morelos, Mexico. Other reports give its rating as 724 MW.

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the power station in Huexca, the state of Morelos, Mexico.

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Background

The plant was first planned in 2011. Abengoa is constructing it.

Opposition

Construction on the plant has stalled due to opposition. In February 2019, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held a referendum, or "consulta" to gain support for the "mostly complete" plant. Although 60% of the referendum voters supported the project, community activists claimed the vote was "meaningless". In addition,

"The political volatility around plans for the project spiked when an indigenous community leader, Samir Flores Soberanes, was assassinated by unknown assailants three days before the consulta vote took place. The Morelos attorney general has said the murder was not related to the project, but the community activist group that Flores led, the People’s Front, has said they blame the federal government for Flores’ death."

Samir Flores had attended an informational forum in the municipality of Jonacatepec a day before his murder and three days before the referendum. At issue is whether there will be enough water to cool the plant without harming the local environment, as well as a gas pipeline that goes through indigenous lands.

Project Details

• Sponsor: Comisión Federal de Electricidad
• Parent company: Comisión Federal de Electricidad
• Location: Huexca, the state of Morelos, Mexico
• Coordinates: 18.801383, -98.879092 (exact)
• Gross capacity (under construction): 622 MW
  • Combined-cycle unit: 622 MW (to start 2019)