With 22 votes in favor – by Morena, PT and PES – and 10 against – by PAN, PRI, PRD and MC -, the legislators of the Fourth Transformation complied with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and approved, without substantial changes , its preferential initiative amends the Electricity Industry Law and favors the Federal Electricity Commission in fossil fuel production and downgrades people in this field.
This opinion was approved after a long five-hour debate and accusations between the 4T legislators and the opposition and was transferred to the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, where all reservations will be released and it is specified that it will be approved next Tuesday. 2. 3.
On 1 February, President López Obrador began his energy counter-reform and his first step was to present a preferential initiative to amend the Electricity Law and implement a new energy policy and, in his view, not to raise prices for users. .
In this document it was decided to give priority to electricity produced by the Mexican state, and the service to consumers will be provided, first of all, by the distribution network of hydroelectric power plants; secondly, due to what is generated by CFE plants; thirdly, through wind or solar energy from individuals and, finally, combined cycle energy from private companies.
With this new scheme, private ones will be downgraded to third and fourth places in preference to providing electricity to consumers, in addition to being subject to government plans in this regard.
One of the main changes made by Mr Morena to the opinion is the addition of a transitional article so that “all provisions which run counter to the provisions of this decree” are repealed. In addition, the Energy Regulatory Commission is empowered to review or revoke self-supply authorizations that have been obtained in violation of the law.
In this debate, MP Carol Antonio Altamirano, from Morena, stressed that I support López Obrador’s initiative because they identify and share the nationalist orientation that encourages it and added that – without falling into personal disqualifications – do not coincide with the opposition, because it is about saving the energy sovereignty of this country.
“We must not forget that the PRI-PAN alliance imposed a reform that betrayed our history in order to give the private sector the usufruct of oil reserves that had already been identified by Pemex and that it maintained unequal tax treatment, in which private companies they can deduct more operating costs than Pemex is allowed to deduct, generating an artificial advantage for the private sector.
“The energy reform promoted by PRI and PAN was disastrous and also today the warning we gave it eight years ago is obvious,” said Carol Antonio Altamirano.
Meanwhile, MP Hernán Salinas (PAN) stressed that this decision “will have effects, from our perspective, not only devastating for the present of our country, but also for the future of its generations.”
The legislator specified that “a counter-reform in the energy sector is being debated, especially on the issue of the electricity industry, which endangers the viability of economic growth and that the country can produce what is needed”.
PRI MP Enrique Ochoa Reza presented a private vote, in which the opinions of energy, legal and social experts are recovered, warning that this preferential initiative violates various articles of the Constitution. He pointed out that, in addition, the comments of the Federal Commission for Economic Competition are integrated, since, despite being sent to this legislative body, it is not one of the elements to be taken into account in this opinion.
From the PT, MP Gerardo Fernández Noroña stated that it is necessary to put an end to subsidies that affect CFE finances and to achieve energy self-sufficiency, as it is a matter of national security and accused Mexico of losing 412 billion to maintain foreign parasitic plants.
Meanwhile, for the Green Party, MP Zulma Espinoza Mata mentioned that his political faction coincides with the initiative presented by the Executive on the need to strengthen the Federal Electricity Commission in order to guarantee the reliability and quality of the system; However, he added that this cannot be done at the expense of promoting clean energy, as it is fundamental in mitigating climate change.