Something that stands out in the CFE environment is that so far the president has not made any attempt to stop the rumors about Calleja's departure, as she allegedly did in a similar case at Cenace. CFE faces significant challenges ahead, such as reversing the electricity deficit in the Yucatán Peninsula, which caused a massive blackout in the region at the beginning of the year, and ensuring energy supply amid growing demand. This involves promoting gas-fired power plants, expanding and modernizing the electricity transmission networks, purchasing coal for the northern coal-fired power plants, and other pending issues that are even remnants of past administrations. Sources from her circle, however, dismiss this, but the rumor itself reveals a covert battle faced by the head of the state-owned electric company, Emilia Calleja. The issue is that for months now, the electricity market has anticipated changes at the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) that will imply Calleja's departure. Although several names have been floated, in the sector they are convinced that her replacement would be José Antonio Rojas Nieto, the current Undersecretary of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy (Sener). The rumor is growing as the current director of CFE loses support from the private sector, as her leadership is being questioned and there is growing discontent over the lack of clarity regarding her involvement in mixed projects amid extensive regulatory and judicial changes. She also lacks the support of Sener, headed by Luz Elena González, which seeks control of the state-owned energy companies. Sources with first-hand knowledge of this conflict state that these efforts to discredit and 'derail' Calleja come from this department, as they are promoting a profile closer to the presidential palace. The CFE director is one of the few officials who does not come from the inner circle of Claudia Sheinbaum or former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Those who know the state-owned company well highlight that in each strategic area of CFE there are managers or deputy managers close to the presidential environment. In her case, she was favored by the president's effort to integrate more women into the government, thus Calleja became the first woman to lead the company after a long and recognized career within the commission. At the time, her appointment was even a relief for investors who feared the permanence of the former head, Manuel Bartlett. But a year into her term, in Sheinbaum's energy environment, it seems to be insufficient. 'Internally, that has not been the best scheme to move projects forward,' an executive explained to LPO. José Antonio Rojas Nieto In this scenario, the sector sees the candidacy of Rojas Nieto as natural, due to his knowledge of the company, as he was director of finances; but above all, for his closeness to the president, consolidated during his days as an academic at UNAM, being part of a group that also includes Víctor Rodríguez, director of Pemex. That profile, in turn, works against him in the eyes of the sector, which views this move with skepticism. While he is accepted for his previous performance, there are doubts about his leadership abilities. One thing is the academia, the numbers, working with a pencil, and another is operating a power plant. In the wake of Francisco Cervantes's departure from the CCE, speculation arose about his possible move to CFE.
