The growth of the photovoltaic portfolio in Mexico presents a challenge that goes beyond the availability of modules, inverters, permits, or capital: ensuring a sufficient number of skilled personnel to build the new projects within the planned timeframes . The simultaneous expansion of several plants could increase competition for installers, supervisors, and specialized electrical technicians.
The first call for bids for mixed projects between the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and private developers awarded approximately 6,710 MW of photovoltaic capacity , within a total renewable energy package of 7,411 MW. This portfolio is in addition to more than 4,600 MW of solar capacity planned by the state-owned company for its new private and mixed-ownership calls for bids.
Furthermore, Mexico already gave an initial indication of this acceleration in December 2025. The Ministry of Energy presented the results of the call for proposals for priority attention to private generation and interconnection projects, through which 20 power plants totaling 3,320 MW were selected. Of these, 15 photovoltaic initiatives accounted for 2,471 MW, and the other five were wind power projects.
It's worth noting that many of the awarded projects have a commercial operation date of 2029. Given this volume of capacity, worker availability could become a critical factor for execution. Héctor Erdociaín, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Chemik Group , warns that the market will have to find new ways to organize the construction of the power plants.
“ Right now in Mexico there is going to be an explosion of construction and there won't be enough people prepared for that construction, we all know that, ” the executive stated during his presentation.
Faced with this prospect, Chemik proposes applying an industrialization model similar to that used in the automotive industry to photovoltaic parks. The company aims to have a greater number of tasks completed at the factory, with components prepared, tested, and ready for on-site assembly.
The warning doesn't just refer to the number of available workers. It also encompasses the required training, on-site quality control, and the ability to replicate technical processes across numerous projects that could be progressing simultaneously in different regions of the country.
Industrialize the construction process to reduce dependence on specialists.
“ In these 25 years, our focus has been on the fact that our core business has been innovation and industrialization ,” Erdociaín explained.
The executive points out that the firm's experience comes from the automotive sector, where process repeatability, standardization, and control of each component are essential. " We come from the automotive world, and industrialization is our strength, and we've brought that to photovoltaic parks ," he stated.
The logic involves transforming part of the conventional construction into a modular or "Meccano" type system. In this way, the most critical tasks are carried out in a controlled industrial environment , while on-site work focuses on the assembly and connection of pre-tested solutions.
“ It’s crucial that you create a product that’s like a Meccano set, easy to build, and that anyone with minimal training can do it, ” said the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Chemik Group.
Industrialization does not eliminate the need for specialists, but it reduces the number of complex operations that must be performed manually in the plant and allows the most experienced technicians to concentrate on supervision, commissioning and quality control.
It could also facilitate greater participation of workers from nearby communities. As a point of reference, Erdociaín mentions a recent 465 MW project in Peru , developed in a desert area with the participation of local residents.
“ All the electrical work has already been done with local people, with the surrounding communities, which is also what everyone likes the most when you can integrate the environment into your project ,” the executive highlighted.
This model links two needs that will become increasingly important as the Mexican portfolio progresses: accelerating construction and building local workforce skills . Training personnel in the regions where the parks will be located can reduce travel, expand the supplier base, and improve the territorial integration of the developments.
However, simplifying the assembly process must be accompanied by industrial controls. Erdociaín warns that the pursuit of the lowest initial cost can lead to operational problems if tasks requiring precision, calibrated tools, and continuous verification are transferred to the field.
“ We mustn’t fall into the trap of excessive CAPEX, because in the end we’ll just end up doing the same thing as always. OPEX is very important, and CAPEX can be reduced while maintaining quality ,” he stated.
The risks of moving critical processes to the field
One of the examples Chemik points out is photovoltaic connectors. Although they represent a small part of the total investment, a defective crimp can generate hot spots, electrical losses, unavailability, and even fires .
As he explains, the company receives the pins on reels and uses crimping charts and monitoring systems to verify the height of each connection. This level of verification is difficult to consistently replicate on a construction site, especially when there is pressure to meet deadlines and one person has to make hundreds or thousands of connections.
“ When an installer you hire uses a crimping tool that has play and an operator puts in 2,000 connectors, you have 2,000 problems in the project and nobody is going to check it ,” the executive warned.
Observation shows that labor shortages and quality control are not independent challenges . A market with high demand for installers can bring in less experienced personnel, increase employee turnover, or reduce the time available to train and supervise each task.
The industrialized approach seeks to reduce this exposure through prefabricated harnesses, wiring, boxes, and assemblies. Chemik encompasses solutions located between the module and the inverter, aiming to minimize manual intervention and adapt the electrical architecture to the specific conditions of each plant.
The company already applied this strategy to a 110 MW photovoltaic project in Taiwan , designed to be four meters high to withstand a potential tsunami. The original structure significantly increased capital costs, so the firm redesigned the plant's electrical architecture.
“ We redesigned the entire plant and saved them $11 million. Our entire installation was located above ground so that if there were a tsunami, it wouldn't affect the plant at all ,” Erdociaín said.
The solution involved installing the electrical systems at the top and centralizing the inverters next to the transformer using a Virtual Station. From there, the power was transported with aluminum cable and pre-assembled harnesses, preventing any potential seawater intrusion from affecting critical components.
This case demonstrates that industrialization can respond to both labor shortages and financial and technical objectives. Designing a power plant to facilitate construction does not necessarily imply increased CAPEX: an optimized architecture can reduce materials, construction time, risk of errors, and maintenance needs.
Erdociaín believes the industry has already demonstrated its ability to react to complex situations. “ Ultimately, we are a sector that has adapted to extremely complex things like COVID, broken supply chains, and price increases,” he concluded.