PLADESE, Call For Priority Projects And DACGs On Planning For Generation

On October 17, 2025, three important instruments for the electricity sector were published in the Federal Register:

• the Electricity Sector Development Plan,
• the Call for the priority handling of applications for electricity generation permits and interconnections to the National Electricity System (SEN), aligned with binding planning, and
• the General administrative provisions for binding planning concerning electricity generation.

These three instruments are intended to give an important boost to the start of a new stage in the Mexican electricity sector, under the new legal and regulatory framework that has been developed throughout this year.

Electricity Sector Development Plan ("PLADESE").

The PLADESE is an energy sector planning instrument with a medium- and long-term vision for the development and modernization of the electricity sector's infrastructure, with a 15-year outlook and annual updates.

The PLADESE includes a detailed diagnosis of the current situation of the electricity sector, followed by a description of the elements that constitute the planning scenario for the period 2025-2039, including:

• the plan for electricity generation capacity additions to the SEN (with data on the projected participation of the State, through Comisión Federal de Electricidad, in the National Infrastructure Fund and Petróleos Mexicanos, as well as the expected participation of clean energies);
• the plan for transmission and transformation capacity additions; and
• the plan to add energy storage systems.

The PLADESE also includes information on the investment programs and plans considered for the period 2025-2039, including:

• the Binding Program for the Installation and Retirement of Power Plants (PVIRCE);
• the Expansion and Modernization Programs for the National Transmission Grid and General Distribution Grids; and
• the reinforcement electricity grids that have been identified for the generation projects included in the PVIRCE.

The PLADESE constitutes, in terms of the Energy Planning and Transition Law, the guiding document for the development and modernization of the electricity sector infrastructure, and its content must be considered in the granting of permits and other authorizations related to the electricity sector.

Call for the priority handling of applications for electricity generation permits and interconnections to the National Electricity System (SEN), aligned with binding planning (the "Call")

The Call establishes the mechanism for the priority handling of applications for electricity generation permits before the National Energy Commission (CNE) and interconnection studies before the National Energy Control Center (CENACE), for the development and migration of power plants that are strategic and a priority in the binding planning of the electricity sector until 2030 and in accordance with the PLADESE. The main aspects of the Call are as follows:

Eligible power plants.

The Call excludes projects that do not require a permit, distributed generation, self-consumption, and mixed development projects. Eligible power plants shall:

• Be located in the regions identified in the binding planning, in accordance with the capacity addition blocks contained in the Technical Annex;
• Comply with the technical requirements, electricity generation technology, and commercial operation commencement dates specified in the Technical Annex; and
• Where applicable, submit documentary evidence of technical, social, and environmental feasibility procedures carried out before the competent authorities, such as the Ministry of Energy (SENER), CENACE, and the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).

Attached to this email is the information contained in the Technical Annex to the Call.

Procedure.

• It is necessary to submit the expression of interest, register the associated project, and request the interconnection studies in accordance with the terms of the Call using the Single Window for Strategic Projects in the Energy Sector (VUPE)
• The permit application is submitted through the Electronic Filing Office (OPE)
• Permit applications shall comply with all legal and regulatory requirements.
• Generation projects with interconnection studies that have expired shall pay for impact and facility studies. CENACE will report on the necessary interconnection and reinforcement works, without further clarification.
• The Call includes the possibility for projects under the Electricity Industry Law (LIE) and the Electric Power Public Utility Law to voluntarily initiate their migration in accordance with the requirements of the Electricity Sector Law.

Key dates.

The key dates established in the Call are the following:

• Period for registration of expressions of interest and requests for CENACE interconnection studies: October 20 to 24
• Period for CENACE to determine the payments owed to it: October 27
• Period for payment of studies carried out by CENACE: October 28 to 31
• Submission of the application for an electricity generation permit to CNE: October 28 to November 5
• Review by CNE of compliance with requirements and notification of deficiencies: November 6 to 11
• Addressing any deficiencies notified by the CNE: November 12 to 19
• Notification of study results and the cost of reinforcement and interconnection works defined by CENACE: November 26
• Express acceptance of the cost of reinforcement and interconnection works: November 27 to December 4
• Review of technical studies and binding planning criteria: December 5 to 9
• Approval of permits by the CNE Technical Committee: December 10
• Publication of the results of the Call for Proposals: December 11

General administrative provisions for binding planning concerning electricity generation (the "DACGs on Planning-Generation").

The DACGs on Planning-Generation establish the binding planning criteria for the evaluation and granting of electricity generation permits pursuant to the Electricity Sector Law and its regulations, except for generation permits for self-consumption and cogeneration. They also provide for the creation of a Technical Analysis Group ("GAT") with technical evaluation functions related to the processes derived from the calls issued by SENER for the granting of generation permits relating to the projects required to ensure compliance with the expansion objectives of the National Electricity System ("SEN"), in accordance with the planning instruments provided for in the Energy Planning and Transition Law (the "Electricity Sector Planning Instruments"), as well as projects under the mixed development scheme.

The DACGs on Planning-Generation became effective the day after their publication.

Compliance Criteria

In accordance with the DACGs on Planning-Generation, the seven criteria that the National Energy Commission ("CNE") will consider to assess whether projects associated with generation permit applications comply with the binding planning of the electricity sector and are aligned with the Electricity Sector Planning Instruments are as follows:

1. Taking into account the information established in the PLADESE and the studies carried out in each case by CENACE to assess the feasibility of the interconnection, the CNE will evaluate the following criteria:

Contribution to meeting demand and accessibility of electricity: Consistency of the project with the capacity, technology, and generation requirements to meet electricity demand, as defined in the Energy Sector Planning Instruments, considering the satisfaction of demand in the corresponding transmission or regional control management region, the year of entry into operation (which shall be equal to or earlier than that required for that region), and the generation technology required in the region.

Reliability, Continuity, Quality, and Safety of the SEN: Contribution of the project to compliance with the technical parameters required by the National Electric System ("SEN"). To this end, the contribution of the project will be assessed in terms of related services, frequency and voltage control, firm capacity reserve, synchronous inertia, or synthetic inertia with electrical energy storage systems.

Efficiency in the Electricity Sector: Long-term performance of the project, based on criteria of minimum long-term cost and infrastructure deferral. To this end, the operating cost of the SEN will be assessed.

2. Considering the information contained in the PLADESE, the Social Impact Assessment for the Energy Sector, the emission factors of the electricity sector, or any other information it deems appropriate, the CNE will evaluate the following criteria:

Energy Transition and Sustainability of the SEN: Degree to which the project promotes compliance with the energy transition and decarbonization goals established in the Energy Sector Planning Instruments and international commitments in this area. To this end, the project's contribution to the fulfillment of clean energy goals or greenhouse gas mitigation will be assessed.

Prevalence: Confirmation that the project respects the non-prevalence of private parties over the State, i.e., that the minimum percentage of 54% corresponding to the State in the average energy injected into the SEN in a calendar year is respected, within a Wholesale Electricity Market operating framework based on economic dispatch of loads, subject to reliability and security restrictions.

Energy Justice: degree of contribution of the project to equitable access, reduction of inequalities, and attention to energy poverty, through the amount allocated to the implementation of its social management plan, which shall be at least 0.5% of the total investment of the project.

Innovation and Technological Development: degree of contribution of the project to the adoption of new technologies, improvement of efficiency, and technological development in the country. For this purpose, the minimum efficiency per electricity generation technology will be considered.

Projects shall meet all of the above criteria; otherwise, the requested permit will not be granted.

Technical Analysis Group

A GAT will be created, composed of at least the heads of the SENER's Undersecretaries of Planning and Energy Transition and Electricity, the heads of the CNE's General Directorate and Electricity Unit, and the head of the General Directorate of the National Energy Control Center ("CENACE"). The GAT will have the following functions:

• reviewing the integrated technical information on the processes resulting from the calls referred in Article 57 of the Regulations of the Energy Planning and Transition Law, as well as matters related to mixed development projects.
• to issuing technical opinions and reviewing, at a minimum, the reports generated by CENACE that impact the results of binding planning and that are considered for the granting of generation permits derived from the calls, as well as mixed development projects.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.