Mexico could quickly move from the currently identified opportunities around 3 GWh to individual projects of up to 5 GWh over the next few years.
That is the expectation of Ricardo Garro , Commercial Director for Latin America at CATL , who observes an unprecedented acceleration of the segment after the recent calls promoted by the Ministry of Energy.
“Launching a call for bids for 900 MW requiring a minimum of three hours of storage means we are talking about a market opportunity of practically 3 GWh,” he stated during a prominent interview at the Future Energy Summit (FES) Mexico.
Watch the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Y7gNTEUNU
“We expect the market to actually execute what is currently being allocated, which is several GW of power, and this implies GWh of storage. These can be scales from 1 GWh up to 5 GWh that could be implemented in a matter of 1 or 2 years,” he said.
The size of the market begins to take shape based on the new rules for renewable projects, which require systems equivalent to 30% of the installed capacity with a minimum duration of three hours.
This is in addition to the recent approval of the specific regulatory framework for storage and a portfolio of over 4.5 GW of initiatives in different stages of development.
“In fact, with some projects from the first call for proposals to expedite permits, we are already in a fairly active negotiation phase with contracts and everything else,” the executive stated.
The most compelling sign came weeks ago when the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) awarded 37 projects to 31 developers under the new mixed scheme with private participation. According to industry estimates, these initiatives represent more than 7,411 MW of capacity.
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In parallel, the Second Call for Priority Attention to Applications for Generation and Interconnection Permits aligned with Binding Planning continues, which includes renewable projects associated with CFE, independent storage and self-consumption.
According to the updated schedule, the submission of applications will take place between July 16 and August 18, while the publication of final results was set for September 12, 2026.
“We see that development has been so rapid that the first projects are expected to be delivered soon, some by the end of this year and others next year,” emphasized the Commercial Director for Latin America at CATL.
Currently, most technical specifications focus on three-hour configurations due to regulatory requirements. However, the market is beginning to evaluate longer-lasting solutions.
“Most projects are being specified at three hours, although we have seen some projects that are demanding four hours,” he explains.
The executive also noted that the regional trend points to increasingly larger storage systems. “There are opportunities for 2 to 5 hours of storage or more. We have even seen opportunities in other markets, such as Guatemala, for six-hour projects,” he added.
Beyond the current tenders, CATL believes the main challenge will be converting awarded contracts into operational assets. If this occurs, the accumulated volume could reshape the regional energy storage landscape.
If that scenario materializes, Mexico would go from being an emerging market to becoming the main regional reference for the segment.
“If everything comes to fruition, we will likely see Mexico as the leading BESS market in Latin America,” Garro concluded.
This expectation takes on greater significance considering CATL's position in the global industry. The company controls more than 30% of the global energy storage market and has a manufacturing capacity exceeding 700 GW, in addition to another 300 GW currently under construction.