President Claudia Sheinbaum opened the Teresa Urrea Chávez combined-cycle power plant in Manzanillo, Colima on Friday, June 13, 2026. The facility brings 345 megawatts (MW) of new capacity to the General Manuel Álvarez Moreno complex, raising its total output to 2,860 MW, according to Energía a Debate reporting on the official ceremony.

The plant is part of the federal government's public power generation investment program, administered through Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). Mexico aims for the CFE to generate 54 percent of the country's electricity within four years, up from the current 46 percent, to meet surging industrial demand from nearshoring and energy transition commitments. Manzanillo, with its port infrastructure and natural gas pipeline access, serves as a strategic node in Mexico's Pacific power grid.

The new unit will serve more than 800,000 additional users and conserve 93 million liters of water annually thanks to combined-cycle technology, which outperforms conventional steam turbines in efficiency. At the inauguration, Sheinbaum stated, "Strengthening the CFE means loving Mexico," a theme she linked to energy sovereignty and infrastructure investment. The federal government plans to add 28,000 MW of capacity before 2030.

The Teresa Urrea Chávez plant bears the name of a 19th-century Sonoran healer and activist, a historical figure associated with indigenous resistance and social justice in northern Mexico. The current administration has made it standard practice to name energy infrastructure after gender-conscious historical figures.

Sources

Related coverage