Following the announcement by the Ministry of Energy (“SENER” per its acronym in Spanish) on May 11, 2026 regarding three mechanisms to facilitate investment in the energy sector, on May 15, 2026, the “Request for Proposals for Strategic Electric Power Generation and Storage Projects, in line with binding planning” (the “RfP”) was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation.

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The RfP is aimed at strategic power generation and storage projects in partnership with the Federal Electricity Commission (“CFE” per its acronym in Spanish). It should not be confused with other requests for proposals, including the Second RfP for Priority Projects published on May 11, 2026, or the CFE’s RfP for Mixed Development Schemes. Unlike those calls, this one includes licensed storage activities and allows for projects under mixed development schemes with the CFE, encompassing both mixed investment and long term production.

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This RfP is to be read in light of the Guidelines for Mixed Development Schemes (the “Guidelines”). For more details on the Guidelines, please see our note for clients here.

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I. Purpose

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This RfP establishes a mechanism for the priority handling of applications for power generation and storage permits filed with the National Energy Commission (“CNE” per its acronym in Spanish) and interconnection studies filed with the National Energy Control Center (“CENACE” per its acronym in Spanish). It is aimed at (i) renewable generation projects with a capacity of 0.7 MW or greater, and (ii) Electric Energy Storage Systems with a capacity of 0.7 MW or greater and at least 3 hours of storage.

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Participants in this RfP may not simultaneously participate in other calls for proposals. Furthermore, applications for permits previously submitted to the CNE may be included. The following are excluded: (i) generation or storage projects exempt from permits; (ii) projects that already have a permit; (iii) projects intended for self consumption; and (iv) storage systems associated with power transmission and distribution infrastructure.

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II. Capacity Requirements

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Projects under this RfP must meet the capacity requirements established by SENER, as follows.

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The capacity required by Regional Control Management, Substation, or Interconnection Point, Voltage Level, and Commercial Operation Start Date is set as the target limit to be met (the “Required Capacity”). Next, the committed capacity is determined as the portion of the Required Capacity that, as of the relevant cutoff date, corresponds to projects that have already obtained a permit and also submitted financial guarantees for Interconnection and Connection Works, for Reinforcement Works without both milestones, the capacity is not considered committed for cutoff purposes (the “Committed Capacity”). Finally, the remaining capacity is the difference between Required Capacity and Committed Capacity as of the relevant cutoff date, calculated at the same level of granularity.

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This information will be available for review on a monthly basis in the VUPE.

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III. 
Alignment with Binding Planning

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The CNE must assess compliance with the binding planning criteria. To do so, it requires (i) information from SENER regarding the social management plan, and (ii) interconnection studies and information on compliance with the Binding Planning Regulations from CENACE. For more information on the Regulations, see our note for clients here.

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IV. GAT Analysis

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The CNE must submit the information gathered and its binding planning opinion to the CFE Technical Analysis Group (the “GAT” per its acronym in Spanish) established in the Guidelines. The GAT must determine which projects most benefit the National Electric System (the “SEN” per its acronym in Spanish) if multiple projects are eligible with respect to the Required Capacity, taking into account commercial operation, location, technical elements, congestion relief, power contribution, and reliability improvement.

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If the opinion is favorable, the process established in the Guidelines continues, and once formalized, the permit is obtained in accordance with the RfP. If the opinion is unfavorable, SENER may consider the projects in binding planning instruments.

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To obtain the permit, the following must be met: (i) expression of interest, (ii) evidence of payment for interconnection studies, (iii) compliance with the deadlines of the RfP, (iv) compliance with the requirements of the Permit Provisions, (v) acceptance of reinforcement and interconnection works, and (vi) a document certifying the partnership with CFE.

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V. Process

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To participate in the process, applicants must meet the requirements set forth in the RfP within the deadlines specified therein. The following key dates are highlighted:

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a. Expression of Interest.- To participate, applicants must submit an expression of interest and a request for connection and interconnection studies through the Single Counter for Strategic Projects (“VUPE”) between May 25 and August 25, 2026, and request the interconnection studies. Thereafter, CENACE will have 4 days to issue notice and 2 days to determine the payment for the studies. Individuals have 5 days to make the payment.

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b. Interconnection and connection studies.- These must be conducted within 30 days. The results of reinforcement works and interconnection shall be notified, and must be accepted within 6 days. No clarifications regarding the interconnection studies are permitted.

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c. Evaluation of CNE binding planning criteria.

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d. Review of technical information and issuance of the GAT Opinion.- Issued within 4 days. If favorable, the formalization process with CFE proceeds in accordance with the Guidelines.

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e. Filing for generation permits.-Once the GAT issues its favorable opinion, the applicant has 22 days to apply for the permit.

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f. Submission of the interconnection guarantee.- The interconnection guarantee must be submitted prior to the signing of the interconnection contract.

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VI. Obligations of permitholders

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Permitholders under this RfP must (i) demonstrate the project’s financing plan within 8 months of the permit being granted, (ii) execute the instruments required for mixed development schemes, and (iii) obtain final authorization regarding the Social Impact Statement in the Energy Sector within 6 months of the permit being granted, among other requirements.

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To view the terms of the call for proposals, click here.