SENER publishes the Call for Strategic Electric Power Generation and Storage Projects aligned with b

On May 15, 2026, the Ministry of Energy (Secretaría de Energía, "SENER") published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación, "DOF") the Call for the Development of Strategic Electric Power Generation and Storage Projects Aligned with Binding Planning (Convocatoria para la Atención de Proyectos Estratégicos de Generación y Almacenamiento de Energía Eléctrica, alineados a la planeación vinculante), which has been amended through agreements published in the DOF on May 26 and July 10, 2026 (the "Call").

The purpose of the Call is to establish the mechanism for the priority processing of applications for generation and electric energy storage permits, interconnection and connection studies and, where applicable, the execution of the corresponding agreements, to enable the development of strategic projects aligned with binding planning as a Project in Partnership (Proyecto en Asociación) with the Federal Electricity Commission (Comisión Federal de Electricidad, "CFE"), in order to strengthen the reliability, continuity, efficiency, safety, and sustainability of the National Electric System (Sistema Eléctrico Nacional, "SEN").

The Call addresses, among other matters, the following:

I. Scope and eligible projects

The Call is directed at all persons interested in developing, under the Project in Partnership modality with the CFE, the following types of projects: (i) renewable electric power generation plants with a capacity equal to or greater than 0.7 MW; or (ii) standalone Electric Energy Storage Systems (Sistemas de Almacenamiento de Energía Eléctrica, "SAEE") with a capacity equal to or greater than 0.7 MW. All projects must be aligned with the binding planning established by SENER.

Projects must meet the following requirements: (i) contribute to the achievement of the reliability, efficiency and sustainability objectives of the SEN; (ii) contribute to the energy needs of the country in accordance with the Required Capacity for the Call (which must be published and updated by SENER at https://ventanilla.energia.gob.mx/); (iii) provide documentary evidence of the technical, social and environmental feasibility proceedings conducted before the competent authorities; and (iv) indicate the Mixed Development Scheme (Esquema de Desarrollo Mixto) or association structure under which the Project in Partnership with the CFE is intended to be developed.

II. Exclusions

The following projects are excluded from the Call:

1. For electric power generation: (a) distributed generation; (b) Self-Consumption in its various modalities; (c) generation under the cogeneration modality; and (d) power plants that, prior to the publication of the Call, had already obtained a generation permit. 
2. For SAEE: (a) those that do not require a permit under the Electric Sector Law (Ley del Sector Eléctrico, "LSE") and its regulations; (b) those associated with Public Transmission and Distribution Service infrastructure; and (c) those associated with power plants or load centers linked to existing permits or authorizations.

Projects associated with applications filed under the Call may simultaneously participate in other calls.

III. Partnership with the CFE

A fundamental aspect of the Call is that all projects must be developed as a Project in Partnership with the CFE through a Mixed Development Scheme (whether Mixed Investment, Long-Term Production, association, alliance, or any other modality allowed under the Federal Electricity Commission Public Company Law (Ley de la Empresa Pública del Estado, Comisión Federal de Electricidad, "CFE Law").

In Stage 4 of the procedure, CFE must state whether it is interested in evaluating the submitted project for partnership purposes. If CFE states that it is not interested, the procedure under the Call is deemed concluded.

IV. Procedure

The Call establishes a procedure consisting of two main phases. The first phase encompasses the registration of the notice of interest and the carrying out of connection and interconnection studies, while the second phase, once the Project in Partnership with the CFE has been formalized, covers the permit application and issuance process. The Single Window for Strategic Energy Sector Projects (Ventanilla Única de Proyectos Estratégicos del Sector Energético, "VUPE") serves as the primary means for the development and monitoring of the process. Interested parties must carry out, among other activities, the following:

• Register the notice of interest and the application for connection and interconnection studies through the VUPE, during the period from June 2 to September 2, 2026;
• Provide evidence of payment for connection and interconnection studies to the National Energy Control Center (Centro Nacional de Control de Energía, "CENACE") through the VUPE;
• Submit, through the VUPE, the Works Acceptance Form, whereby the interconnection, connection, and reinforcement works determined by CENACE are expressly accepted. Such acceptance is a necessary condition to continue in the process and once granted, is irrevocable; and
• Once the Project in Partnership with CFE has been formalized, file the application for a generation or electric energy storage storage permit through the Electronic Filing Office (Oficialía de Partes Electrónica) of the National Energy Commission (Comisión Nacional de Energía, “CNE”), in accordance with the Permit Regulations published in the DOF on October 23, 2025.

V. Timeline – Registration and studies

The Call establishes the following timeline for the notice of interest registration procedure and the connection and interconnection studies:

VI .Evaluation, GAT and formalization with the CFE

SENER must submit for consideration of the GAT the evaluation of projects that meet the requirements established in the applicable regulations. The GAT must issue its technical opinion considering, among other factors: the Commercial Operation Date, location, technical elements of the project, congestion relief, capacity contribution, improvement of regional and SEN reliability, operational flexibility, socio-environmental contributions, technology and projected performance of the SAEE, form of execution and financing, and economic efficiency.

Once the GAT’s opinion has been issued, SENER must notify it to CFE, the CNE, and the applicants through the VUPE. When the opinion is favorable, CFE must initiate the corresponding procedure to, where applicable, formalize the Project in Partnership. For the formalization, the provisions of the LSE, the LSE Regulations, the Energy Planning and Transition Law (Ley de Planeación y Transición Energética), the CFE Law, and the Guidelines for CFE’s Mixed Development Schemes (Lineamientos de los Esquemas para el Desarrollo Mixto de la CFE) must be observed.

If the Project in Partnership with CFE is not formalized, CFE must inform SENER so that it notifies, through the VUPE, the conclusion of the procedure, without prejudice to the interested party’s right to participate in other calls.

Once the Project in Partnership with CFE has been formalized, the second phase of the procedure encompasses the following stages:

VII. Required Capacity Reference

The Required Capacity reference for the Call sets out the quantities for identifying the general needs for electric power generation and storage, giving priority to projects whose Commercial Operation Date is expected before 2030.

For electricity generation, the Required Capacity reference for the Call considers binding planning and the operating conditions of the SEN. The following table serves as a reference to identify electricity storage needs by CENACE Regional Control Division (Gerencia de Control Regional):

The Required Capacity table for SAEE serves as a reference for identifying storage needs and does not constitute a strict limit on the receipt of proposals; accordingly, proposals for projects other than those indicated in the table may be submitted, provided they contribute to addressing the needs of the SEN and meet the requirements of the Call.

VIII. Entry into force

The Call and its amendments entered into force on the same date as their publication in the DOF. Registration of the notice of interest to participate in the Call and the application for interconnection and connection studies must be filed between June 2 and September 2, 2026.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, applicants who submitted their notice of interest and their application for interconnection and connection studies prior to July 10, 2026, the date of publication of the most recent amendment, must indicate, within no more than 5 business days, their interest in continuing with the Call procedure in accordance with the procedure established prior to the entry into force of such amendment agreement. If such indication is not made, the procedure will continue in accordance with the provisions of the amendment agreement.

We invite you to reach out to your usual contacts at Ritch Mueller to discuss any matters described in this note.

Visit our site www.ritch.com.mx or reach us at (+52) 55 9178 7000 | [email protected]