Building Energy Resilience Amid Increasing Extreme Weather Risks

The intensification of extreme weather events has been reflected in phenomena such as floods, heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and more intense hurricanes. These natural events not only affect populations and ecosystems but also strike directly at energy infrastructure, jeopardizing the stability of power systems, distribution networks, and energy production centers. 

According to data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the number of extreme weather events has quintupled over the past 50 years. In 2023 alone, more than 300 extreme events linked to climate change were recorded globally, ranging from wildfires in Canada and Greece to historic floods in Libya and Pakistan. It is estimated that global economic losses due to natural disasters in that same year exceeded US$250 billion. 

As such, the energy sector has become one of the most exposed to climate change. The impacts range from thermal power plants shutting down due to a lack of cooling water, electrical grids collapsing due to wildfires or cyclones, to dams ceasing operation because of severe droughts. 

Electric power systems are particularly sensitive to extreme heat. During the heatwaves that affected southern Europe and the southwestern United States in 2023, many thermoelectric plants operated below capacity due to overheating. Additionally, the surge in air conditioning use drove up electricity demand, triggering scheduled blackouts in countries such as India, Pakistan, and parts of China. 

In some Latin American countries, where the energy matrix largely depends on hydroelectric power, prolonged droughts have become a direct threat to the supply of this vital resource. For instance, in 2021 and 2023, Brazil faced one of the worst droughts in nearly a century, drastically reducing reservoir levels. This led to an increased use of thermal generation (which is more expensive and polluting due to the use of fossil fuels), and the import of electricity from neighboring countries to avoid widespread blackouts. 

Mexico is no exception. In 2024, a combination of high temperatures and low hydroelectric availability caused tensions in the National Electric System, particularly in the northern part of the country. The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the National Center for Energy Control (CENACE) were forced to declare operational alerts due to high demand and limited generation capacity. 

The risks are not limited to power generation. In August 2021, Hurricane Ida shut down more than 90% of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, closed several refineries in Louisiana, and caused disruptions to the pipeline network that supplies the northeastern United States. Despite advances in contingency systems, recovery took weeks and exposed the vulnerability of petroleum systems to climate-related events. 

One of the most illustrative cases of energy interdependence and its vulnerability to extreme events occurred in February 2021, when a severe winter storm struck the southern United States, freezing natural gas pipelines in Texas. This event halted gas production and exports to Mexico, triggering an unprecedented energy crisis in the northern region of the country. The lack of natural gas supply affected numerous combined cycle power plants — Mexico’s primary source of electricity generation in the region — and forced CENACE to implement rolling blackouts in at least 26 states to prevent a major system collapse. 

This episode starkly revealed the Mexican electric system's heavy reliance on US natural gas, from which Mexico imports more than 60% of its consumption. It also underscored the urgent need to strengthen strategic reserves and improve storage infrastructure. 

According to the Energy Resilience Report 2023, global investments in resilient energy infrastructure exceeded US$150 billion that year. These investments were primarily directed toward microgrids, energy storage, grid reinforcement, and system digitalization for real-time monitoring. 

In Latin America, countries like Chile and Colombia have already begun incorporating climate risk assessments into their energy planning. Mexico, however, still has a significant area of opportunity: Although vulnerability diagnostics exist for some regions, these analyses have yet to be systematically integrated into national electricity system expansion plans. 

An effective way to boost confidence in electric systems is to accelerate the adoption of distributed renewable energy. Rooftop solar installations, hybrid systems, and community microgrids can offer greater security in areas prone to natural disasters, as they allow electricity supply to continue even if the main grid fails. In Puerto Rico, for example, after the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane María in 2017, solar microgrid projects with storage were implemented in rural communities. 

As observed, the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events poses a direct threat to global energy infrastructure. The energy transition must not only aim to decarbonize economies but also redesign energy systems with principles of adaptation, resilience, and flexibility. Investing in stronger grids, storage, digitalization, and distributed generation will not only reduce the impact of future climate crises but also contribute to building a safer and more robust energy system.