Power plants under scrutiny for pollution

Activists, specialists, and researchers are calling on authorities to take action to regulate pollutant emissions at the two power plants, emphasizing that fines alone are not enough to remedy the environmental damage that La Paz suffers every day.

contaminacion — For years, they have been pushing for CFE to meet emission standards to protect the public’s health.For years, they have been pushing for CFE to meet emission standards to protect the public’s health. / Foto: Cortesía / Alianza por la Calidad del Aire

Karina Lizárraga

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La Paz, Baja California Sur.- Civil associations forming the Alliance for Air Quality remain active in a front to defend La Paz’s environmental basin, facing the persistent trail of pollution that punishes the capital city, which serves as the energy heart of Baja California Sur.

Recently, the Mexican Center for Environmental Defense (Cemda) announced that the Internal Combustion Power Plant (CCI) and the Punta Prieta Thermoelectric Plant were fined by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa).

The fines resulted from inspections triggered by a public complaint filed in 2023. Federal authorities detected various irregularities at both plants, such as a lack of operational records, omissions in pollutant emission reports, and an absence of information to verify compliance with pollution limits established by environmental regulations.

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According to Cemda, the La Paz CCI showed failures in fuel consumption records and in the monitoring of the operation and maintenance of emission control equipment. At the Punta Prieta plant, similar omissions were identified, including a lack of reports and records on the operation of systems intended to reduce pollution.

Congreso exhorta a revisar emisiones de termoeléctrica en La Paz

For these reasons, Profepa fined the Thermoelectric Plant 678,840 pesos and the CCI 610,956 pesos. However, these results only came after an injunction (amparo) promoted by Cemda, as Profepa had initially sought to close the case without conducting the proper investigations.

The struggle against the institutional apparatus

Guillermo Naranjo, senior lawyer for Cemda’s Northwest office, detailed the efforts by civil associations to achieve these fines, noting they were forced to file legal appeals to make the authorities act. He explained that this is part of a follow-up on the emissions from the plants, which Cemda has documented through various tools—particularly through engagement with residents of neighborhoods like La Rinconada and El Cajoncito.

The population expressed that they could perceive the emissions from the Thermoelectric plant, reporting that people were getting sick and waking up covered in soot. This situation had already been voiced to various authorities without any intervention.
“It didn’t go beyond them saying they would request information from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). As part of the follow-up, Cemda and CERCA worked on a document regarding air quality from 2019 to 2022,” he commented.

Central termoelectrica de La Paz — Profepa was forced by a court injunction (amparo) to investigate these cases, which were reported through a public complaint. / Foto: Alberto Cota / El Sudcaliforniano

“Among the findings, they identified evidence to support that the emissions from both the CCI and the Punta Prieta plant were above the limits of official standards,” he specified.

In the public complaints filed, they argued there were indications that control systems were not operating at 100% capacity, that they exceeded regulated limits, and that operating licenses apparently allowed both plants to surpass official pollution standards.

“With this, we denounced the CFE so that Profepa would investigate. They opened the complaint and notified CFE to respond. CFE responded that the plants did not generate smoke, that they were not obliged to comply with air quality standards, and that official standards were not mandatory for them.”

Following this response, they requested a more thorough investigation from Profepa. They provided evidence such as their air quality report and asked for information from other agencies, but the federal dependency limited itself to merely inspecting CFE before closing the case.

“We were concerned about two specific emissions that are the most harmful to human health: nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, as well as particulate matter that causes damage to people,” he explained.

Continued Pollution

The Alliance for Air Quality showcased images of the pollution emanating from the chimneys of the Punta Prieta Thermoelectric Plant, even after the Profepa fine had been confirmed.
The Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality (CERCA) emphasizes that when a large amount of smoke is seen leaving the plants, it is due to a combination of technical and operational factors that intensify the problem, rather than just “normal” operation.

contamincacion — Just a few days ago, polluting emissions were observed at Punta Prieta. / Foto: Cortesía / Alianza por la Calidad del Aire

The landscape covered in pollution confirms what the Alliance has been exposing: electricity production in La Paz represents a public health problem that puts the population and visitors at risk.

“Excess smoke does not stem from a single cause, but from the interaction between the type of fuel, combustion efficiency, the state of environmental control systems, and the plants’ operational decisions,” CERCA stated.

termo electrica — They are calling for the emissions of both power plants to be regulated/brought into compliance.Piden que se regularicen las emisiones de las dos centrales / Foto: Alberto Cota / El Sudcaliforniano

The Alliance continues its fight, urging authorities to take specific actions to stop and prevent these situations. They also call on citizens to join the complaint, “hunt” the smog, and demand that authorities take action so the air in La Paz is truly clean. The Alliance notes that La Paz only experiences good air quality for four months out of the year.

Lucía Frausto, director of Cómo Vamos La Paz, reported that their studies indicate pollutant emission levels in La Paz exceed the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Fines are not enough

Guillermo Naranjo emphasized that Profepa’s fines are not enough to guarantee the quality of the air we breathe.
“Money is not going to clean the air. Seeing the type of emissions released just four days ago, it becomes even more necessary to recognize these omissions and implement mechanisms to regularize the operations of CCI and Punta Prieta,” he stressed.

He underscored that this should not be seen merely as administrative compliance, but as a minimum duty of respect for the human right to health and air quality.

The fines, regardless of the amount, are not intended to repair the damage being done, nor do they guarantee that CFE will implement measures to reduce emissions.

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“It is cheaper for the authorities to pay the fines than to acquire, adapt, and maintain their emission control systems and machinery to meet official standards,” he reiterated. “We are seeing a kind of negligence because, if it is cheaper for the authority to pay the fine than to respect the human right to health, it is difficult for them to guarantee it.”