### Tijuana’s Maquiladoras Suffer Losses Due to Power Supply Failures
The manufacturing industry in Tijuana has faced significant setbacks due to recent power supply failures in the city. According to Alfredo Dueñez, president of the Medical Device Cluster in Baja California, various companies were forced to halt their activities, adversely affecting their manufacturing processes.
The outages, triggered by soaring temperatures that reached as high as 39 degrees Celsius, caused intermittent power supply in several neighborhoods. Key industrial areas such as Parque Industrial Pacifico, El Florido, and Pinos saw severe impacts, particularly among maquiladoras in the furniture, automotive, and aerospace sectors.
“Many of the industrial parks were also affected by these blackouts,” Dueñez remarked. He noted that not all parks and companies have emergency power supplies. While some generators are sufficient to safeguard employees, they fall short in maintaining normal operations.
The disruptions led to cycle interruptions and product losses, impacting the quality of manufacturing processes. The medical device sector was particularly hit, with interruptions in critical processes like environmental chamber cycles and sterilization, which typically span 18 to 24 hours.
In response to the outages, some companies opted to let their employees leave early, while others had to fully suspend activities during the peak blackout hours, which occurred between 1 and 3 PM. Although some operations resumed a few hours later, the industrial sector remains vulnerable to such events.
Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda stated that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) was actively working to restore service, expecting it to be reestablished by the afternoon.
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### Related News: Heatwave Causes Widespread Blackouts in Tijuana
Recent extreme heat conditions in Tijuana have led to a dramatic increase in electricity consumption, causing widespread blackouts across various parts of the city. According to local utility authorities, the surge in temperatures, peaking at 39 degrees Celsius, has strained the power grid, leading to intermittent service.
Reports indicate that residential areas are not the only ones affected; several critical infrastructure sectors, including water utility services, have also faced interruptions. The resulting outages have prompted concerns over water availability, with some areas experiencing an uptick in water usage due to the heat, exacerbating the demand.
Authorities have urged residents to conserve energy during peak hours to mitigate further strain on the grid. They are also working on long-term solutions to bolster the city’s power resilience against future heatwaves.
The heatwave has also increased awareness about the need for more robust emergency power systems for essential services and industrial zones, as the current provisions have proven inadequate in the face of such extreme conditions.