ASSEMBLY

Lawmakers approve energy project

State lawmakers approved Thursday a bill that allows the governor to assign a multi-year contract to produce solar electricity in the Colorado River-Tijuana Aqueduct.

The project is contingent on the cost of electrical energy per kilowatt hour being less than the rate currently contracted by the State Water Commission.

The proposal, which was introduced by the Chairman of the Energy Commission Elí Topete, also includes provisions of a credit or guarantee to respond to the fulfillment of the contract.

Additionally, the bill authorizes that, in the event that the contract is signed directly by a public agency, the state government is a project guarantor.

Jaime Martinez Veloz, a former Democratic Revolution Party gubernatorial candidate said the three-decade project amounts to $270 million.

The contract must comply with energy regulations and will be awarded through a sealed bidding process.

Morena Assemblyman Juan Manuel Molina García proposed that the contract be signed no later than Oct. 15.

The government indicated that the establishment of a new energy generating company in the region will help reduce the energy deficit by 20 percent. It will also increase the economic competitiveness of the state by promoting greater investment in the industrial and commercial sector.

The state said the project will allow local production without the need to import fossil fuels.

The plant would have technology that is 100 percent safe and would provide cleaner energy than gas or coal.