**Tijuana’s Maquiladoras Suffer Losses Due to Power Supply Failures**
The industrial sector in Tijuana has faced significant challenges recently due to disruptions in the electrical supply, which have led to the suspension of operations in several companies. This issue has particularly impacted businesses located in the Pacific Industrial Park, as well as those in the El Florido and Pinos areas, affecting various sectors such as furniture, automotive, and aerospace manufacturing.
Alfredo Dueñez, President of the Medical Devices Cluster in Baja California, highlighted that the recent high temperatures, reaching up to 39 degrees Celsius, have caused intermittent power supplies across several neighborhoods.
“Many industrial parks were also affected by these outages. Not all industrial parks and companies have emergency generators,” said Dueñez. He pointed out that while many emergency power generators are designed to protect the workforce, they are insufficient to fully sustain normal operations.
“We face interrupted cycles, product losses, and quality issues stemming from these interruptions,” he noted. In the medical devices sector, specific processes like environmental chamber cycles, filtration, and sterilization—which can take between 18 to 24 hours—have been particularly affected.
Dueñez further mentioned that due to the lack of electricity, some companies allowed employees to leave early, while others entirely suspended activities during the peak power outage hours, typically between 1 PM and 3 PM. Some companies managed to resume operations a few hours later, but the industrial sector is undeniably vulnerable to such incidents.
The Governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, stated on Tuesday morning that the Federal Electricity Commission was working to restore service by the afternoon.
Dueñez indicated that there has not yet been an assessment of the number of companies that halted operations or the exact financial losses and delays within the medical devices sector.
**Secondary Article: Heatwave Leads to Power Outages and Increased Water Consumption in Tijuana**
Alongside issues in the manufacturing sector, Tijuana has been grappling with broader infrastructural strains due to the ongoing heatwave. The Commission of Public Services of Tijuana (CESPT) has reported a 10% increase in water consumption, driven by the soaring temperatures.
Local authorities have warned that the combination of heightened electricity use for air conditioning and other cooling devices, coupled with increased water consumption, may place further strain on the city’s resources.
Residents and businesses alike are being urged to minimize non-essential energy and water use to help mitigate the impact during this period of extreme heat.
These developments highlight the interconnectedness of Tijuana’s infrastructure and the cascading effects that extreme weather conditions can have on the city’s operations and residents’ lives.