LAUSR

This contribution addresses the first assessment of the impact of geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) on the 400‐kV power grid of Mexico. As an initial approach, we modeled GIC using a uniform conductivity for the entire Mexican territory and spatially uniform geomagnetic disturbance. Power grid data were provided by the electric operator of Mexico; the geophysical data were inferred from the main features of Mexican geology. We calculate the power grid response during four geomagnetic storms from Solar Cycles 23 and 24 (i.e., 15 July 2000, 20 October 2003, 17 March 2015, and 7 September 2017), as well as during an extreme scenario (a Carrington‐like event). The results show that the Mexican power grid can be affected by three‐phase GIC ranging from 20 to 75 A during geomagnetic disturbances. According to the model, sites located in coastal areas or close to the edges of the network can experience large GIC during time intervals between 3 and 10 hr, depending on the intensity of the geomagnetic disturbance. It is an interesting result that these sites are of the major economic and strategic significance for the country. In the case of a Carrington‐like event, the power grid could be affected by GIC ranging between 25 and 150 A under a uniform 1 V/km EW geoelectric field. Such an event might produce significant distortions in the grid hardware (i.e., transformers and static VAR compensators), potentially leading to widespread damage.