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"Extreme Heat Is Already Straining the Mexican Power Grid"

"Climate change is making scorching temperatures more common in the country, which last week surpassed the peak energy demand of 2022."

"When Raquel Rubio’s 13-month-old baby developed a 102 fever last week, she rushed to the doctor. Her son, Liam, had been in Rubio’s apartment without air conditioning for several hours; Nuevo León, the Mexican state where she lives, had reached 109 degrees that day. The fever in the region could easily be driving her son’s temperature.

The doctor confirmed Rubio’s suspicions, sent her back home and instructed her to bathe Liam and keep him hydrated. But Rubio couldn’t go back home; she had been dealing with power shortages for the past two weeks and didn’t want to take her son back into the blistering heat.

During the heat wave that hit Mexico and Texas in the last two weeks, some states in Mexico saw temperatures exceed 113 degrees, and more than 20 people died from heat stroke. The record-high temperatures have put enormous pressure on the country’s electric system, increasing the electricity demand.

Experts say a lack of investment has left the Mexican electric system unprepared for the challenge. As climate change fosters extreme heat in the country, power shortages could become increasingly common."

Gina Jiménez reports for Inside Climate News June 29, 2023.

Source: Inside Climate News, 06/30/2023