Climate Action 2010-2011

SPECIAL FEATURE | CFE
© Creative commons/flickr/Jeremy Burgin
CFE: from environmental protection
towards a low-carbon electric system
Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) is a Mexican
state-owned electricity company created by decree
in 1937. The company supplies electricity to over 33
million customers in Mexico’s industrial, commercial
and residential sectors. The company is also responsible
for the planning and operation of the country’s national
electric grid. The ongoing challenge today is how to
improve competitiveness and provide cleaner electricity
more efficiently.
In 1992, when Mexico signed the Rio de Janeiro Agenda
21 to implement a national sustainability model, CFE’s
directorate needed a way to make the national electric
system a significant contributor, producing electricity using
fewer natural resources and reducing air and water pollution.
The company established a principle to identify and
address the environmental impacts of all significant
operations and make environmental and social
responsibility a key part of best management practices.
CFE created a specialised entity to co-ordinate efforts
and, by the end of 2008, all power plants had their ISO
14000 certificate, demonstrating that comprehensive
environmental impact assessments had been carried out
at each plant to the guidelines provided by the ISO, the
international environmental standards body.
CFE is participating in the self-regulatory framework
established by the Federal Government Agency for
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Environmental Protection (SEMARNAT). At present 460
of our facilities have been certified as ‘Clean Industries’.
Action plans and commitment
At present, the company’s philosophy and goals are
focused on a greener future, establishing four lines of
action in pursuit of sustainability:
• To reduce the environmental and social impacts of
major projects and activities;
• To maximise the efficiency in generation, transmission
and distribution of electricity;
• To increase the share of renewable energy sources in the
electric matrix;
• To promote and sponsor energy-saving programmes.
In the political arena, Mexico’s energy sector has
undergone important changes. In 1992, the basic
regulatory body for the electric sector was modified
in such a way as to permit for the first time a partial
participation of private investors in the generation field.
The figures for self-producer, self-consumer, cogeneration
and independent producers were set by law.
These changes contributed to the modernisation of
the national electric system and a new approach towards
environmental protection. This greater environmental
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