MEXICO'S STATE POWER company CFE relaunched a tender for the US$1.07B, 750MW El Cajon hydro project in Nayarit state in September 2002. CFE had planned to launch the process on 27 June 2002, but it was delayed to allow the country's comptroller time to review bidding rules. Construction was originally scheduled to begin by the end of 2002, with operations planned for early 2007.
The hydro plant on the Santiago river is to be equipped with two 375MW vertical Francis turbines and will regulate the flow at Mexico's largest hydro plant, Aguamilpa, located 60km downstream of the proposed El Cajon site. Estimates of the Santiago river basin's generation capacity has been put at 4300MW, of which only 32% is currently being used through six plants.
