CFE and MEXDC Agree on Joint Planning for 1.73 GW of Data Center Capacity
CFE and MEXDC are coordinating electrical grid planning to meet projected data center demand of 1.73 GW by 2031, up from 279 MW of installed capacity today and 205 MW under construction in 2026.
Mexico's federal utility CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) and the Mexican Data Center Association (MEXDC) reached a coordination framework on September 10, 2026, designed to anticipate the sector's power demand, which the industry projects at 1.73 GW by 2031, up from 279 MW of installed capacity and 205 MW currently under construction.
Under the agreement, as reported by La Jornada, MEXDC will provide CFE with consolidated data on future projects, expansion outlooks, and consumption profiles. CFE's technical teams will use that information to design the generation, transmission, distribution, and storage solutions each project requires based on its location. BNamericas' regional coverage identifies grid connection speed and reliability as the top barrier cited by sector investors. Mexico is Latin America's largest data center destination and the landing point for U.S. computing demand seeking local installed capacity, making grid planning a precondition for investment.
The agreement includes weekly technical working groups to review data, statistics, and growth projections, and to track projects requiring new capacity. It also covers follow-through on regulatory processes managed by the National Energy Control Center (CENACE), the operator of the National Electric System (SEN), and the identification of Distribution personnel responsible for each zone where data centers already operate. CFE maintains that the country has sufficient generating capacity to support sectoral growth, provided infrastructure planning is done in advance, as reported by La Jornada. The gap between the 279 MW currently operational and the projected 1.73 GW means multiplying sector capacity more than sixfold in under six years, with 205 MW already under construction in 2026.
The first metric to watch will be the load projections coming out of the weekly working groups and their translation into transmission and storage projects. Where that infrastructure lands will determine which data center projects can connect, and on what timeline.
This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
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This article was drafted with AI assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.