The cost of electricity in Yucatán is about to rise once again.
Energy sector analysts say the increase is likely to be about 3%.
The price hike comes less than a year after a 4% increase in the cost of electricity was announced last April.
“On average people in Yucatán pay 17% more than the national average for electricity,” said Alberto Xacur, president of Yucatán’s business council.
Domestic electricity production and distribution in Yucatán is managed exclusively by Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), a state energy monopoly.
Electricity consumers in Yucatán have long complained about what they perceive to be an arbitrary pricing and billing model. The CFE has also come under rising scrutiny for charges of alleged corruption and the politicization of essential services.
As electricity prices have continued to trend upward, more households and businesses have opted to purchase solar panels.
The CFE has also come under fire for a massive blackout which they then attempted to cover up.
Even some supporters of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have begun to lose hope in the reforms to the energy sector, which were announced early in his tenure. The president has also claimed to make great strides in combating corruption within the CFE, but not everyone is convinced.
“Instead of helping the citizenry out during this financial crisis, the CFE has decided to raise our power bills once again. People and businesses are holding on by a thread. This is no time to take this sort of step in the wrong direction.” said Sen. Raul Paz Alonso, a PAN politician who represents Yucatán.
For its part, the CFE announced that it will be offering no discounts to businesses or individuals.
