SENER Submits DACGs for Self-Consumption

SENER and CNE presented a draft regulation aimed at establishing the legal and technical framework for self-consumption of electricity. The proposal introduces General Guidelines (DACGs) to regulate self-generation under the country’s Electricity Sector Law, offering new clarity and structure for residential, commercial and small industrial projects that rely on rooftop solar or other forms of distributed power generation.

Under the draft DACGs, two modalities of self-consumption are defined: isolated self-consumption for systems not connected to the national grid and interconnected self-consumption for systems that inject surplus energy into the national network. The regulation seeks to establish conditions and requirements for both modalities, including registration procedures for self-generation systems, periodic updates, and a standardized contract model for selling energy surplus under the interconnected scheme.

The draft sets clear requirements for generating plants under self-consumption. In particular, the DACGs apply to generation units with capacity equal to or greater than 0.7MW, in conformity with Art. 30 of the Electricity Sector Law, and stipulate that self-consumption plants must either operate in isolation or, if interconnected, dedicate all their generated energy to the owner and meet technical and regulatory obligations before injecting excess energy into the National Electric System (SEN).

In addition to self-consumption regulations, SENER and CNE have recently issued a broader regulatory overhaul for electricity generation and storage permits, replacing the previous framework with binding planning criteria designed to align all new projects with national priorities. These DACGs for generation and storage, published in late October 2025, aim to ensure that new investments contribute to system reliability, energy transition goals, social equity, and long-term financial and operational sustainability.

The new regulation is being closely watched by developers, industrial users, and clean energy advocates. Proponents argue that legal clarity around self-consumption could unlock more distributed solar, relieve stress on the grid, and speed up the energy transition by enabling homes and businesses to generate and manage their own power, reducing dependence on centralized supply and fossil fuels. This is especially relevant considering national goals to expand renewable generation capacity and integrate storage systems to manage intermittent output from solar and wind power.

Under the DACGs, interconnected self-consumption systems will be able to sell surplus power under a formal contract, which could incentivize larger rooftop or small-scale solar installations and encourage private capital flow into distributed generation infrastructure. The registration and standardization requirements also aim to improve transparency and monitoring, while reducing regulatory uncertainty for project developers and end users alike.

However, questions remain. The draft regulation is subject to public consultation and still must be finalized. The real impact will depend on how the registration, interconnection and surplus-sale processes are implemented, especially in terms of grid integration, technical standards, and potential costs for small-scale generators. Some private developers also point out that the framework should ensure timely and fair treatment for interconnection requests to avoid bottlenecks that have slowed down renewable adoption in the past.

Moreover, while the DACGs aim to regulate self-consumption clearly, larger-scale generation and storage projects remain subject to the binding-planning provisions introduced this year, a framework that requires such projects to meet stricter criteria, including social impact evaluation, technical efficiency, long-term viability, and contribution to national energy transition goals.

The government’s move comes at a time when demand for electricity is growing, partly driven by industrial expansion, electrification, and efforts to decarbonize the energy system. By establishing a clearer framework for self-consumption and distributed generation, Mexico may lower barriers for adoption of rooftop solar, small-scale clean generation, and encourage investment in renewable energy capacity closer to demand centers.