Yes, Mexico has nuclear power. The country operates one nuclear power plant, Laguna Verde, located on the Gulf of Mexico coast in the state of Veracruz. Its two reactors produce just over 3% of Mexico’s total electricity, with a combined capacity of about 1,552 megawatts.
Laguna Verde: Mexico’s Only Nuclear Plant
Laguna Verde houses two boiling water reactors supplied by General Electric. Unit 1, rated at 777 megawatts, began commercial operation in 1990. Unit 2, nearly identical at 775 megawatts, came online in April 1995. Together they make Laguna Verde a mid-sized nuclear facility by global standards.
Unit 1’s operating license was recently renewed, authorizing it to run until April 2055. That 60-year extended lifetime reflects a broader trend worldwide of keeping well-maintained reactors running far beyond their original design periods. The plant is owned and operated by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), Mexico’s state-run power utility. Under the Mexican constitution, nuclear energy is reserved exclusively for the state, meaning no private company can own or operate nuclear plants in the country.
Where Mexico Gets Its Nuclear Fuel
Mexico does not mine, convert, or enrich its own uranium. The entire front end of the fuel supply chain happens abroad. In a somewhat unusual arrangement, CFE is the only nuclear operator in North America that relies on a single supplier of enriched uranium, with 100% of its supply shipped from Russia to the United States, where it is fabricated into fuel assemblies before being sent to Laguna Verde. Energy policy analysts have flagged this sole-source dependency as a vulnerability, noting that a U.S. enrichment facility in New Mexico sits less than 250 miles from the Mexican border and could serve as an alternative supplier.
Safety Record and International Reviews
Mexico’s nuclear safety regulator, the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards (CNSNS), oversees all aspects of Laguna Verde’s operation, from siting and design to eventual decommissioning. Its regulatory framework is modeled directly on U.S. nuclear regulations, drawing from the same federal code that governs American plants.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has conducted multiple safety review missions at Laguna Verde. A 2023 follow-up mission found that the plant had made “significant improvements” in managing the aging of mechanical components, buildings, and civil structures since an earlier review in 2019. The team also noted the plant had developed a comprehensive training program for aging management. However, reviewers flagged areas still needing work: completing a full periodic safety review to identify potential improvements for long-term operation, and finishing a program to confirm that electrical components can withstand harsh conditions.
Spent Fuel and Waste Storage
Like all nuclear plants, Laguna Verde generates spent fuel that remains radioactive and must be stored securely. Initially, spent fuel was kept in cooling pools inside the reactor buildings. To handle the volume expected over the plant’s extended 60-year lifetime, an independent spent fuel storage installation has been built on the Laguna Verde site with capacity for over 11,500 fuel assemblies. Plans have been underway to transfer older fuel from the pools into this dry storage facility. Mexico also joined the international Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and Radioactive Waste Management in 2018, committing to international standards for handling both power plant waste and radioactive materials from medical and industrial sources.
How Nuclear Fits Into Mexico’s Energy Mix
At just over 3% of total electricity generation, nuclear plays a small but steady role in Mexico’s power supply. The country leans heavily on natural gas, which fuels the majority of its electricity production. That dependence on gas is one reason nuclear expansion has attracted high-level government interest. A 2022 report from Mexico’s energy ministry implied that to meet the country’s clean energy targets, annual electricity production from nuclear sources would need to double by 2035.
Despite that ambition, concrete expansion plans have not materialized. Government projections through 2050 show nuclear capacity staying essentially flat at around 1,608 megawatts, barely above the current installed capacity. No new large reactors are under construction or formally planned. Mexico has also submitted climate commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%, and nuclear power could theoretically help meet those targets since it produces electricity without burning fossil fuels, but investment decisions have not followed the rhetoric.
Interest in Small Modular Reactors
Mexico’s National Nuclear Research Institute has conducted feasibility studies on small modular reactors (SMRs), a newer class of nuclear technology designed to be factory-built and deployed in smaller, more flexible units than traditional large plants. The studies have explored using SMRs for isolated electrical grids where building gas pipelines is impractical, and for cogeneration, producing both electricity and process heat simultaneously. These remain at the research and feasibility stage, with no construction timelines announced. Still, the interest signals that Mexican energy planners see potential nuclear applications beyond simply expanding Laguna Verde.