Nuevo Leon Is Ready to Welcome Tesla: Samuel García

Samuel García, the Governor of Nuevo Leon, said that the state has enough energy capacity to provide electricity to foreign companies willing to establish operations there. In this regard, CFE aims to supply energy to Tesla through its Puerto Peñasco solar plant in Sonora.

Through a video posted on social media, García stressed that from the first day of his administration, his goal has been to attract companies that represent the industry of the future, generating sustainable wealth while remaining respectful of the environment. "Is not just Tesla, a whole cluster of new sciences like mechatronics, electronics, aerospace, renewable energies, chips and semiconductors will arrive. “That is what we want in Nuevo Leon," he said.

According to the National Energy Control Center (CENACE), electricity demand for the National Electricity System in the northeast of the country reaches 7,988MW, while the net generation is 11,973MW, which represents a surplus of 3,985MW.

Moreover, CFE has offered to provide clean energy to the new Tesla plant, to be built in Nuevo Leon, through its Puerto Peñasco project. Mario Morales, Director General for Brokerage of Legacy Contracts, CFE, said that the proposal will depend on the company’s energy requirements. On Feb. 17, 2022, President López Obrador inaugurated Phase One of Puerto Peñasco, which boasts an initial power production capacity of 120MW. Morales pointed out that given Mexico’s competitive energy market, companies are free to seek different supply options with private energy companies. However, he commented that “Tesla is likely to approach CFE.” 

Tesla plants usually produce part of their electricity by themselves, as exemplified by its factory in Nevada, which is mostly powered by photovoltaic energy provided by solar panels placed on the roof of the facility. Nonetheless, such a self-supply project may be difficult to develop in Mexico as a result of policies issued by the López Obrador administration.

García emphasized the advantages of establishing a new company in Nuevo Leon. This includes labor peace since the state has not had strikes in over 25 years, good universities, skilled labor availability, good connectivity and proximity to the US border. Furthermore, he recalled that Tesla would create over 35,000 new jobs. "We want Nuevo Leon to be the new global hub of electromobility," he said. The governor told Bloomberg News that Elon Musk’s company will invest over US$10 billion throughout the different stages of the project. However, Tesla has not yet officially announced a specific amount for the construction of the plant, nor has it revealed any other details about the project.