The Ministry of Energy (SENER) extended until October 30, 2026 the deadline to register Electrical Energy Storage Systems (SAEE) within the Call for Attention to Strategic Projects of Generation and Storage of Electrical Energy.
The modification does not extend to renewable energy generation. The third update to the process , published on September 2nd in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) , establishes two separate dates: the submission period for generation projects ran from June 2nd to September 2nd , while for storage the window will remain open from June 2nd to October 30th .
In effect, the decision grants an additional 58 calendar days to the BESS segment with respect to the schedule that was in place until now.
SENER itself attributed the extension to the interest shown by the participants. The stated objective is to encourage greater participation, strengthen the technical analysis by the authorities involved, optimize the costs borne by private entities, and promote administrative efficiency.
The 935 MW remain the main focus
The expansion is especially relevant because of the volume of storage that the Government seeks to incorporate through the mechanism.
The current Required Capacity for storage systems reaches 935 MW , all with a reference of three hours duration , which represents around 2805 MWh if the full volume were to materialize under that dimension.
The greatest need is concentrated in the North region, with 245 MW , followed by the East, with 180 MW; the Northwest, with 160 MW; Baja California and the Peninsular, with 140 MW each; Baja California Sur, with 50 MW; and the West, with 20 MW .
The July amendment further reinforced the weight that this distribution will have during the process. The required capacity was redefined as the target that must be progressively met by the participating projects, and CENACE should not consider initiatives located in regions where the required capacity no longer exists or has already been met.
Therefore, the location of each proposal and the space still available in each region become central variables for developers taking advantage of the extension.
Registering the project is not enough
The almost two additional months broaden the entry process, but do not modify the filters that participants will have to pass.
The second amendment to the call for proposals, published on July 10, established a sequential procedure, in which each stage depends on the completion of the previous one. One of the first steps after registration will be the evaluation by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) , which must indicate within ten days whether it is interested in continuing to analyze the project for a potential partnership.
Continue reading
If CFE determines that there is no such interest, the procedure provided for in this call for proposals concludes for the project .
Projects that continue must then go through the determination and payment of studies, the CENACE connection and interconnection analyses, the acceptance of the costs of the necessary works and the evaluation of the Technical Analysis Group (GAT) .
Among the variables considered are location, congestion relief, power contribution, improvement of regional and National Electric System reliability, operational flexibility, storage technology and performance, financing, and economic efficiency.
Sungrow and Skysense are already preparing for the opportunity
The expansion finds various industry players working for months on the opportunities opened up by these 935 MW of standalone BESS .
Sungrow , one of the world's largest manufacturers of storage solutions, is already preparing its positioning for the call for proposals and evaluating how to respond to the technical requirements faced by projects seeking to advance within the mechanism.
The company enters the process with a strategy strongly focused on utility scale and storage, and with solutions developed specifically for large-scale projects, a segment it identifies as one of the main drivers of the Mexican market.
On the developers' and integrators' side, Skysense also confirmed to Energía Estratégica that it is preparing its strategy to participate in the BESS standalone call for proposals. The company is simultaneously seeking to finalize two utility-scale projects in Mexico , as part of its move towards larger-scale projects. The company itself has publicly reaffirmed its intention to pursue this opportunity.
The move by both companies shows that the expansion is not coming to a waiting market, but to a sector that was already structuring proposals, evaluating locations and defining suppliers.
Two separate lanes for the batteries
The 935 MW call for bids should also be distinguished from the other major front that Mexico opened this year for private investment.
While this mechanism targets non-associated storage systems , the country is simultaneously developing calls for new renewable generation projects in which power plants must incorporate storage under the conditions established for those projects.
In other words, the 935 MW correspond specifically to the need identified for SAEE standalone and should not be added to or confused with the batteries associated with new solar and wind farms.
With the generation window for this call now closed, storage remains the only segment that keeps the registration stage open until October 30 .