Petacalco power station
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Petacalco power station (Central Termoeléctrica Presidente Plutarco Elías Calles) is an operating power station of at least 2778-megawatts (MW) in Petacalco, La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca, Guerrero, Mexico with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Central Termoeléctrica Presidente Plutarco Elías Calles, Pacifico-2 power station (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 2, Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 3, Unit 7 (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 1)), Proyecto 62 CCE Pacífico (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 2, Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 3, Unit 7 (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 1)), Carboeléctrica Pacífico (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 2, Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 3, Unit 7 (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 1)).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Petacalco power station | Petacalco, La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca, Guerrero, Mexico | 17.98365, -102.115439 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 2, Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 3, Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7 (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 1): 17.98365, -102.115439
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 2 | cancelled | coal: unknown | 700 | supercritical | – |
| Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 3 | cancelled | coal: unknown | 700 | supercritical | – |
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: bituminous, fossil liquids: fuel oil | 350 | subcritical | 1993 |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: bituminous, fossil liquids: fuel oil | 350 | subcritical | 1993 |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal: bituminous, fossil liquids: fuel oil | 350 | subcritical | 1993 |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal: bituminous, fossil liquids: fuel oil | 350 | subcritical | 1993 |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal: bituminous, fossil liquids: fuel oil | 350 | subcritical | 1994 |
| Unit 6 | operating | coal: bituminous, fossil liquids: fuel oil | 350 | subcritical | 1994 |
| Unit 7 (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 1) | operating | coal: unknown | 678 | supercritical | 2010 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 2 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 3 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
| Unit 7 (Pacífico coal-fired expansion project Unit 1) | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100%] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Australia, Colombia, Canada, United States
Background
The Petacalco power station is Mexico's largest coal-fired power plant, and the third largest overall among the country's 71 power plants.[1] Petacalco's six original 350 MW units were brought online in 1993 and 1994.[2] In 2010 the 678 MW Pacífico expansion unit (sometimes referred to as unit 7) was added to create a seven-unit plant with a combined gross capacity of 2778 MW.[3][4] The Petacalco plant generates roughly 7% of Mexico's electricity.[5][6]
In Mexico's 2023-2037 National Electric System development plan, the Petacalco power station was mentioned and appeared to be operational with no future plans of retirement noted.[7]
Fuel
The Petacalco plant uses a dual-fuel system, with units 1 through 6 capable of running on coal or fuel oil[8][9]; the Pacífico expansion unit is fueled exclusively by coal.[9] Coal for the plant has traditionally been imported from Australia, Colombia, Canada, the United States and Asia through the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas[4][8][10], because Mexico's domestic coal, mostly produced in Coahuila state, does not meet the Petacalco plant's thermal specifications.[8] Under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Petacalco plant has increased its consumption of fuel oil and reduced its consumption of imported coal, in accordance with government policies favoring domestically produced fuels.[8][9][11][12]
In February 2021, Forbes México reported that Mexico City's Ministry of Works and Services was planning to build a "hydrothermal carbonization plant" that would produce biofuel to be used at Petacalco power station.[13]
According to the 2021 annual report of Mexico's federal electricity commission (CFE), domestic liquid fuels played an important role in powering the Petacalco plant throughout 2021.[8][14] As of November 2021, news sources reported that the plant was operating at only 30 to 40% of its capacity, with units 1, 4 and 7 out of service due to fuel shortages[9]; CFE acknowledged that only three units of the plant were operating, but maintained that it was providing adequate supplies of fuel, including coal, to the plant.[15][16][17]
Mexico's 2023-2037 National Electric System development plan noted that in 2022, the Petacalco power station was using both fuel oil and coal to generate power.[7]
Pacífico expansion project
The Pacífico expansion project, known locally as Carboeléctrica Pacífico or by its official name Proyecto 62 CCE Pacífico, was a proposed three-unit addition to the plant. The first unit, Pacífico I, was brought online in March 2010. The other two units, Pacífico II and III, were announced as potential long-range projects but subsequently cancelled.
In December 2005, Mexico's Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) contracted Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to begin construction of the Pacífico addition, which was announced as Mexico's first supercritical coal-fired power plant.[2] The Pacífico I expansion (also known as Petacalco Unit 7) began commercial operations in March 2010, with a gross capacity of 678 MW and a net capacity of 651 MW.[18][3]
Two additional units (Carboeléctrica del Pacífico II y III), projected to generate another 1400 MW, appeared in the Mexican government's 15-year energy plans issued in 2011, 2012, and 2013. However, estimated completion dates for both projects slipped with each annual update. In the government's 2011 report, both plants were listed with projected completion dates between April 2021 and April 2023.[19] In the 2012 report, projected dates had slipped to 2024 for Pacífico II and 2025 for Pacífico III[20], and in the 2013 report, the dates were 2024 and 2026, respectively.[21] Neither plant appeared in the 15-year plan issued in 2014, and the 2014 report noted that price competition from natural gas had prompted a reduction in Mexico's use of coal for electricity generation[22], projecting that coal-fired plants would produce only 4.5% of Mexico's electricity by 2028 (down from 9.7% in 2012).[23]
Financing
In 2010, JBIC extended a $273 million loan to finance the expansion project.[24]
Environmental impact
The Petacalco power complex has had significant negative impacts on human health, marine life, fisheries and agriculture in northwestern Guerrero state.[25][26][27] The Petacalco plant burns an average of 7 million tons of coal per year and has been described as one of the world's worst polluters. Its annual emissions of carbon dioxide and mercury (over 15 million tons, and 711 tons, respectively) are the highest of any power plant in Mexico. In addition, it ranks second nationally in annual emissions of nitrous oxide (228 tons) and methane (152 tons), third in nitric oxide (over 24,000 tons), and fifth in sulfur dioxide (152 tons per year). Air and water pollution traceable to the plant have created multiple negative impacts for surrounding communities, including depletion of fisheries, loss of mangrove habitat, and high concentrations of coal ash and other particulates that threaten residents' health.[4] The Petacalco power plant, together with the José López Portillo and Carbón II power stations in Coahuila state, accounts for 22% of the GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from Mexico's electricity sector while contributing only 10% of national electricity production.[1][28][29]
Citizens' groups have organized frequent protests and meetings with Guerrero state government officials to highlight their concerns about the Petacalco power station's environmental and health impacts, including severe air pollution and contamination of local fisheries.[30][31][32][33]
In June 2023, the mayor of Guerrero led community members and local groups in a peaceful protest against the perpetual environmental degradation caused by the power plant's combustion of fossil fuels.[34]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Badillo, Diego (June 20, 2020). "Centrales eléctricas de Coahuila y el lado oscuro de la fiesta del carbón". El Economista.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tecnología Supercritica para México". Power Engineering International. June 1, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Todd M. Johnson, Claudio Alatorre, Zayra Romo, Feng Liu (2010). "Low-Carbon Development for Mexico (p 116)" (PDF). The World Bank.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Badillo, Diego (June 13, 2020). "Central carboeléctrica de Petacalco: la bonanza hecha cenizas". El Economista.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "CFE adquiere carbón para Petacalco; elevará la producción". Energía a Debate. April 10, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Portal CFE". app.cfe.mx. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Programa de Desarrollo del Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (PRODESEN), Secretaría de Energia (Mexico), May 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "Operó carboeléctrica Petacalco en 2021 sólo con combustóleo". Reforma. May 31, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Dejó de operar la Carboeléctrica de Petacalco y no fue por mantenimiento". Energía a Debate. November 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "CFE inicia importación de carbón por puerto Lázaro Cárdenas". Energy 21. May 6, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Programa Sectorial de Energía 2020-2024: Rescate del Sector Energético". Diario Oficial de la Federación. August 7, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Regresa Termoeléctrica Petacalco al uso de combustóleo deja de lado al carbón mineral: SUTERM". Timonel. December 27, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Basura orgánica de CDMX producirá electricidad en termoeléctrica de la CFE," Forbes México, February 10, 2021
- ↑ "Informe Anual 2021" (PDF). CFE. April 22, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "CFE desmiente apagón de la Central Termoeléctrica, en Petacalco Guerrero - Énfasis". Énfasis. November 4, 2021.
- ↑ "La central termoeléctrica de Petacalco opera con normalidad: CFE". Acapulcochada. November 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Falso que la central eléctrica de Petacalco cerrara por supuestos daños en su equipo". Capital 21 TV | Facebook. November 10, 2021. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Programa de Obras y Inversiones del Sector Eléctrico 2011-2025 (p237)" (PDF). CFE. 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Programa de Obras y Inversiones del Sector Eléctrico 2011-2025 (p244)" (PDF). CFE. 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Prospectiva del Sector Eléctrico 2012-2026 (p126)" (PDF). Secretaría de Energía. 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Prospectiva del Sector Eléctrico 2013-2027 (p149)" (PDF). Secretaría de Energía. 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Prospectiva del Sector Eléctrico 2014-2028 (p39)" (PDF). Secretaría de Energía. 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Prospectiva del Sector Eléctrico 2014-2028 (p113)" (PDF). Secretaría de Energía. 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "International finance for coal-fired power plants" (PDF). usea.org. 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "La carboeléctrica que produce muerte". Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad. July 6, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Toda la pesca se acabó en Petacalco por la termoeléctrica". Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad * YouTube. July 12, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reflexiones socioambientales sobre Petacalco". El Sur Acapulco. March 26, 2022.
- ↑ Badillo, Diego (February 13, 2021). "La central de Petacalco es la mayor generadora de dióxido de carbono en México — ecologica". Ecológica.
- ↑ "Emite cenizas olor a azufre la termoeléctrica de Petacalco; arden ojos y nariz, dicen vecinos". El Sur Acapulco. 2021-05-06.
- ↑ "Reportan pescadores que tiene aceite el canal de descarga de la termoeléctrica de Petacalco". El Sur Acapulco. June 23, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Ya es insoportable el humo de la termoeléctrica de la CFE de Petacalco, advierten". El Sur Acapulco. March 21, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Presenta el gobierno de Guerrero estrategia de bienestar para habitantes de Petacalco". Gobierno del Estado de Guerrero. April 22, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Protestan en la termoeléctrica de Petacalco; exigen a CFE retomar mesas de diálogo". El Sur Acapulco. October 24, 2022.
- ↑ "Alcalde encabeza protesta contra central termoeléctrica de CFE en Guerrero". Milenio. June 5, 2023.
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
