Comision Federal de Electricidad issued the following announcement on Sept. 11.
In a press videoconference held today, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), the National Water Commission (Conagua) and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) reported vandalism carried out by those who keep the facilities of the La Dam taken over. Boquilla and its hydroelectric plant.
The Undersecretary of Public Security, Ricardo Mejía Berdeja; the general director of Conagua, Blanca Jiménez Cisneros, and the CFE's corporate director of Operations, Carlos Andrés Morales Mar, presented a first balance of the events that caused the suspension of the electricity service, among other effects.
Morales Mar reported that the protesters have generated material damage of more than 100 million pesos, which includes damage to control panels, screens and control devices for the automation of the operation of the 4 generating units. Damage was also recorded in the four automatic voltage regulators of the hydroelectric plant, as well as in the start-up and local stop boards of unit number two. The repair of all this equipment will require an estimated time of three months.
The CFE official indicated that this institution will continue with the enumeration and quantification of damages, as well as with the repair and maintenance of the plant in the shortest possible time. Likewise, he emphasized that any impact on the CFE is a direct attack on the people of Mexico.
Blanca Jiménez Cisneros pointed out that, given the violent events registered, on Tuesday, September 8, at 4:32 p.m. local time, it was decided to close the Conagua gates at the La Boquilla dam and the CFE intakes were kept open, This allowed farmers to continue receiving part of the irrigation water that corresponds to them.
He highlighted that, despite the fact that the water supply has been affected by the taking of the La Boquilla dam, Conagua received a letter signed by the presidents of most of the modules of the Irrigation District 005 - several of which participate in the outlet from the same facility−, in which they request that the water supply be re-established.
He added that today Conagua received another letter from SRL Conchos, also requesting that the extraction of La Boquilla be restored.
At the time, the Undersecretary of Public Security, Ricardo Mejía Berdeja, pointed out that the groups that have incited violence have been fully identified, among which is the local deputy Jesús Valenciano García, for which all the evidence that are necessary and available to contribute to the complaint filed by the CFE, for the damage caused to its facilities and equipment.
He reiterated that the Government of Mexico will not renounce its constitutional mandate to guard and safeguard the strategic facilities of the Mexican State. The National Guard and the federal forces will continue to fulfill their responsibility to guarantee the security of the population in the state of Chihuahua and the assets of the nation.
Finally, given the demand for the withdrawal of the National Guard by violent groups, the undersecretary stressed that the only ones that this would benefit would be criminal groups.
Download link for all support materials used in the press video conference https://we.tl/t-9CSeKkZDWR.
Original source can be found here.
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