BajaNomad

Not A Suprise - CFE

CaboRon - 8-13-2009 at 06:15 AM

Power theft costs blns, inflated bills

BY Bronson Pettitt

The News

Corruption in the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) costs some 1.915 billion dollars per year, inflating electricity bills by as much as 20 percent, officials say.

Federal Deputy CuauhtAcmoc Velasco Oliva criticized the state-owned CFE, saying its corruption is detrimental to the economy and increases electricity fees between 10 and 20 percent.

"We did a series of estimates and arrived to the conclusion that.(the corruption) is worth 11.7 percent of the CFE's total income," said Velasco, who heads the Chamber of Deputies' Energy Commission.

In an interview before the "Corruption, Subsidies and Electricity Fees" forum at the San Lázaro Legislative Palace, Velasco said that on many occasions, users and CFE employees agree to have "diablitos" installed, or techniques to distort the amount of electricity registered on meters or illegally tap electricity from paying customers.

"Corruption directly impacts electricity fees," said the Convergence Party deputy. "It's time for those fees to be set rationally, with lower and adequate costs according to each area and economy."

The forum, he said, hopes to make people aware of corruption and create social and political pressure for change. Customers must realize, Velasco said, that while corruption at the CFE and Central Light and Power (the other half of the electricity duopoly covering south-central Mexico), higher fees will remain.

monoloco - 8-14-2009 at 12:25 PM

Don't worry I'm sure that the CFE will be mailing out refunds to all those who were overcharged any day now.

ligui - 8-14-2009 at 04:25 PM

Thanks Ron , more food for thought about the going's on. insider ?

msteve1014 - 8-14-2009 at 04:51 PM

How am I going to get the refund? I live in a house with no number, on a street with no name. Guess I'm out the 3 bucks.

CaboRon - 8-15-2009 at 07:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ligui
Thanks Ron , more food for thought about the going's on. insider ?


Last summer in Todos Santos there were two town meetings held to protest the tripling of electricity bills ....

The local Mexican families were hardest hit ....

I was inspired by the passion of the locals speaches to the gov't officials ..... alas, to no avail.

It seems the base line temps were based on a station in the Sierras, which were at least ten degrees cooler than the temps in town....

There were NO adjustments offered, although it was agreed to move the thermometer into town so that future base line calculations would be more in line with reality.

CaboRon - 8-15-2009 at 04:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho
Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
Quote:
Originally posted by ligui
Thanks Ron , more food for thought about the going's on. insider ?


Last summer in Todos Santos there were two town meetings held to protest the tripling of electricity bills ....
These power protests always amaze me.

Compared to many places in the world, electricity in Mexico is a bargain, with substantial government subsidies which permit efficient users to satisfy their power requirements at way below actual production costs.

The problem in warm zones is that almost nobody is building homes with energy efficiency in mind, and that keeping the temperature of one's living space substantially below ambient, can consume huge amounts of power. Those that do so, pay full price for electricity consumed and it gets very spendy. Those that put some though into energy efficiency, enjoy very reasonable power bills here.

--Larry


I agree, however it is tough to do when living in a cinderblock casa ....

It absorbs the heat of the day and at night gives it back to the living areas.

Seldom dropping below 86 degrees overnight indoors ....