Residents blocked the National Highway in Monterrey for nearly three hours in protest over a prolonged electricity outage affecting several neighborhoods.
Residents of Valle del Cristal blocked the National Highway in Monterrey for nearly three hours Monday morning to protest a prolonged power outage that has left them without electricity since Friday. The demonstration, which disrupted traffic in one of the city’s busiest corridors, reflects growing frustration with repeated electrical failures across the metropolitan area.
Shortly after 7:30 a.m., demonstrators gathered near the La Cantera event hall, obstructing the three center lanes of the highway running south to north. Motorists were forced to reroute onto side lanes, causing significant congestion. The protest was overseen by officers from Monterrey police, Fuerza Civil, and local traffic authorities.
“We’ve had constant problems with low voltage and blackouts, and CFE still hasn’t fixed it,” said protester Oscar Leal, referring to the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). “We’ve now gone almost 72 hours without power. Soon we’ll be without water too because the pumps can’t run.”
Leal added that while CFE crews have occasionally replaced fuses, the underlying cause of the outages remains unaddressed. “We’ve been suffering from this for years, and this latest blackout was the last straw,” he said.
Valle del Cristal wasn’t the only neighborhood affected by the outage. Residents in El Barro, Las Jaras, and Los Cristales also reported being without power over the weekend, highlighting the widespread nature of the issue.
Around 9:00 a.m., a CFE crew arrived at the protest site. An hour later, a technician told residents that the blackout stemmed from excessive electricity demand but assured them the crew would remain until power was restored. Protesters began dispersing shortly thereafter, and traffic flow gradually resumed.
This morning’s protest adds to a growing list of demonstrations sparked by electricity issues across the Monterrey metro area. On March 17, residents of Valle de San Francisco in Escobedo blocked Camino Real Avenue after enduring a six-day outage. In 2023, a series of power-related protests erupted following Storm Alberto, with roads such as Juan Pablo II, Río Nazas, Eugenio Garza Sada, Camino Real, and Manuel Clouthier being shut down by frustrated citizens.
Concerns over the state’s energy infrastructure continue to mount. Just last week, ABC Noticias reported that business advocacy group Caintra and the Nuevo León Energy Cluster issued a joint warning about potential systematic blackouts in the coming months. They urged immediate investment in electricity generation and transmission capacity to avoid further disruption to homes and industry.
Residents in the affected neighborhoods say they remain wary, especially as summer temperatures climb and demand for electricity increases. Many fear that if long-term solutions aren’t implemented soon, the current wave of outages and protests may only escalate.
