Following extensive natural gas discoveries in the last year and falling prices, the Mexican government has suggested it will no longer invest in new nuclear power generation.
As the country’s energy policy sought to reduce carbon emissions and meet growing demand for power, Mexico had considered several options to expand its nuclear fleet, with the most ambitious proposing ten new reactors. But in an interview with Bloomberg, Energy Minister Jordy Herrera said the government will amend its long-term energy plan early next year to emphasize generation from gas instead. Natural gas prices have dropped substantially in recent years as gas exploration has boomed in the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican state of Coahuila.
Nuclear power provides about 4.8 percent of Mexico’s electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association. Its Laguna Verde plant, owned by the state-controlled Comision Federal de Electricidad, uses two General Electric boiling water reactors that each produce about 800 megawatts electric.