Puerto Peñasco operates 420 MW and advances toward a gigawatt of solar capacity

The Puerto Peñasco Photovoltaic Plant in Sonora is operating its first two stages at 100% capacity, with combined generation of 420 megawatts (MW). The Sonora government reported the figure on September 15, 2026, within the Sonora Plan for Sustainable Energies, and the electricity is delivered to the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

The operating stages correspond to 120 MW for the first and 300 MW for the second, according to El Universal. The full project envisions four stages and an investment of 1,685 million dollars, according to El Financiero, to reach a gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity, equivalent, according to the state government, to supplying electricity to more than half of Sonora's population.

CFE describes the complex as the largest solar plant in the Americas and the fifth largest in the world once its four stages are complete, in addition to adding 246 MW in a battery storage system, according to El Economista. Revenue from selling that energy to CFE funds the summer electricity rate subsidy in Sonora's 72 municipalities, with 1,750 million pesos in 2026, and the project is part of the goal that 38% of national electricity generation come from clean sources by 2030.

The second stage has delivered energy to Mexicali, Baja California, since September 2024, while the first has supplied Puerto Peñasco since April 2023, according to El Economista. The state government maintains that with these plants Sonora has an electricity surplus and keeps a subsidized rate; through CFE, two combined-cycle plants were also built in San Luis Río Colorado, according to El Financiero. What remains are stages three and four, which will contribute an additional 580 MW to close the gigawatt.

With all four stages in operation, the Puerto Peñasco complex will be the benchmark for measuring whether clean generation is advancing at the pace required by the 38% goal for 2030. The next verifiable milestone is the third stage coming online, which is still under development.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.