Mexican solar installers report risks of kidnapping and extortion

Mexico’s PV installer association Consejo de Profesionales de la Energía Fotovoltaica (CPEF) has called on the country’s solar industry to support a statement to the Office of the national government, the state-owned power utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), and other energy authorities over security incidents affecting installers and business owners in several states.

CPEF President Aldo Díaz Nuño said at least two incidents occurred over a recent weekend. According to Nuño, several installers traveling to Tabasco for an inspection were kidnapped after leaving their hotel, and their captors demanded a ransom. In the State of Mexico, he said, industry personnel were summoned to inspect a storage installation that did not exist. The business owner subsequently received extortion calls.

Díaz Nuño said similar incidents have occurred in Chihuahua, Guerrero, and Sinaloa. He added that equipment theft and the sale of allegedly stolen components are compounding the security risks.

“An increasing number of business owners are being affected by this situation,” Díaz Nuño said, urging the industry to take collective action.

The CPEF is seeking support from companies, engineering associations, and industry groups, including the Asociación Nacional de Energía Solar (ANES), the Asociación Mexicana de la Industria Fotovoltaica (AMIF), and the Asociación Mexicana de Energía Solar (Asolmex). It plans to present the issue jointly to federal, state, and municipal authorities.

The document is expected to be addressed to officials including President Claudia Sheinbaum and CFE Director General Emilia Esther Calleja Alor. The CPEF has so far released a call to action and a form for collecting industry support.

The security concerns add to a separate issue the CPEF has been highlighting for months: the availability of bidirectional meters needed to complete distributed-generation interconnections.

In May, the CPEF reported a nationwide shortage and estimated that more than 3,000 installations were stalled, particularly in regions with high levels of photovoltaic activity. It cited around 700 affected projects in Guanajuato and more than 1,000 in Chihuahua.

The CFE has denied a widespread shortage. On May 26, it said it had sufficient meters to meet demand in Guanajuato. On June 8, it issued a similar statement regarding Chihuahua.

The CPEF links the two issues, arguing that insecurity, equipment theft, and the market for stolen components are compounding delays related to meters and increasing operational costs and risks for installers.

It also published testimony from NXTSolar, which said it had introduced additional verification, transportation, and logistics procedures to reduce its staff’s exposure to security risks.