The Ministry Of Energy Issues A Call For Priority Attention Of Electric Power Generation Permit

On October 17, 2025, the Ministry of Energy ("SENER") published the Call for Priority Attention to the Applications for Power Generation Permits and the Interconnection to the National Electricity System, aligned with the new Binding Plan for the Electricity Sector ("Call for Permits"), as well as the General Administrative Provisions for Binding Plan in the Electricity Generation Activity ("DACG", jointly with the Call for Permits, the "Publications").

Both instruments are part of the new regulatory framework derived from the Energy Planning and Transition Law ("LPTE") its regulation, and the Regulations of the Electricity Sector Law ("RLSE"), which consolidate the transition to a centralized model of binding state planning, replacing the open-market framework for power generation projects established under the 2013 energy reform.

Below is an executive summary of the most relevant aspects of the Publications and their implications for participants in the electricity sector.

1. Call for Permits

The Call for Permits is the first formal binding planning exercise for the Mexican electricity sector. Through it, SENER and the National Energy Commission ("CNE") will define which generation projects will be eligible for permits and interconnection to the National Electricity System ("SEN") during the 2025-2030 cycle, based on criteria of reliability, sovereignty, energy justice, environmental sustainability and technological innovation.

The foregoing is in line with the publication of the Electric Sector Development Plan ("PLADESE"), which sets forth a long-term vision (2025–2039) involving 76,000 MW of new capacity and 1,800 MW of replacements, of which nearly 80% will correspond to clean technologies. The Plan also defines the system's expansion and reliability objectives, identifying areas with capacity deficits and priority technologies, while the Call and the DACG establish the general criteria for evaluating private proposals within that framework.

The main objective is to align the expansion of installed capacity with State electricity infrastructure plans, prioritizing areas and technologies considered strategic. This scheme replaces the free application regime that prevailed since the 2013 Energy Reform.

• Requirements and Application Process: The Call for Permits precisely defines the types of projects that may participate and establishes strict deadlines and procedures, centralized through official electronic platforms.
• Eligible Projects and Exclusions: Eligible projects will be those power plants with a capacity greater than 0.7 MW that contribute to meeting the needs of the system in accordance with the PLADESE. Distributed generation, self-consumption, efficient cogeneration, and mixed developments are excluded from this Call for Permits, as the focus is on larger-scale power plants considered strategic within the binding plan.
• Electronic windows: The process is managed through the Single Window for Strategic Projects in the Energy Sector ("VUPE"), where interested parties must register their expression of interest and request interconnection studies before CENACE and at the Electronic Filing Office (OPE), which is the exclusive mean for submitting applications for generation permits and related procedures.
• Procedure schedule:
  • Registration of interest and request of interconnection studies: October 20-24, 2025. Registrations will only be accepted during this period.
  • Payment for Studies to CENACE: Amounts will be announced on October 27, with a payment and receipt deadline from October 28 to 31.
  • Permit Application: Submission through the OPE from October 28 to November 5.
  • Publication of the results of the Call for Permits: December 11, 2025, through the VUPE and the official CNE website.
• Obligations after the permit is issued: Approved permits, scheduled to be issued between December 11 and 12, 2025, include the following terms and conditions:
  • Financing: Submission of the financial plan within a maximum of 6 months.
  • Guarantees: Submission of a guarantee before CENACE for any reinforcement works.
  • Authorizations: Obtaining the final authorizations for the Social Impact Statement of the Energy Sector, as well as the impact and environmental authorizations.
  • Social and Environmental Impact resolutions.
  • Commencement of works: Within 6 months of the obtention of said authorizations.
  • Prohibition to transfer the permit: Until the start of commercial operation date.
• CRE/CNE procedures: In addition, holders of previous procedures before the now defunct CRE or the CNE itself may avail themselves of the new process, provided that they formally withdraw from the previous procedure once the new permit has been obtained.
• Alignment with the planning: The CNE will consult with SENER to confirm the consistency of each application with the needs defined in the PLADESE, considering:
  • Amount of investment allocated to the Social Management Plan,
  • Contribution to technological innovation, and
  • Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Eligibility criteria: If the requested capacity exceeds the Required Capacity available per zone or substation, priority criteria will be applied in favor of:
  • Projects that contribute to the reliability, continuity, quality and security of the SEN,
  • Use of clean or hybrid technologies, and
  • Positive socioeconomic impact on local communities.

The selection results will be officially published on December 11, together with the capacity allocated to each project and the corresponding resolutions.

1. General Administrative Provisions (DACG)

The DACG complement the legal planning framework by establishing technical, social, financial, and environmental parameters that will determine the eligibility of projects under the Binding Plan regime. This instrument translates into operational terms the constitutional principle that reserves the planning and control of the national electricity system to the State, in accordance with Article 27 of the Constitution.

• Key Criteria and Compliance Thresholds: The CNE shall evaluate each project considering various factors, among which the following stand out:
• Energy Justice: The project must allocate at least 0.5% of the total investment amount to its Social Management Plan, which must include mechanisms for community participation, impact mitigation, and the generation of shared benefits.
• State Prevalence: To ensure that the State maintains control of the SEN, private generation as a whole may not exceed 46% of the energy injected annually, ensuring a minimum public participation of 54%.
• Capacity Limit: In accordance with the PLADESE, in the period 2025-2030, private projects will not exceed a total capacity of 7,405 MW, of which 5,970 MW would be occupied under the Call for Permits, which could generate limitations on the rest of the generation projects in other areas, as only 1,435 MW would remain of the capacity established in PLADESE.

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.