Gas station construction and refurbishment in Holbox
Double-wall tanks, forecourt, canopy and the CRE-ASEA file with a single contractor.
Holbox is a car-free island inside a federal protected area, so the fuel question here is unusual. Demand comes from golf carts, motorbikes, boats and the cars parked on the mainland, and a conventional station belongs on the mainland side of the crossing.
Where the demand really is
Visitors leave their cars in Chiquilá and cross as foot passengers; on the island, carts and motorbikes move people and goods, and boats serve tours and fishing. A full forecourt makes sense on the mainland road towards Chiquilá and Kantunilkín, while any fuel point on the island is a small, specialised facility.
Fuel in a protected area
Storing fuel inside or at the edge of Yum Balam triggers the strictest version of the federal process: ASEA for safety and environment, the CRE permit, and CONANP for anything inside the protected area. Double-wall tanks, leak detection, containment and a clean-water separation system are the minimum, not the upgrade.
Logistics of a remote station
Tankers, equipment and the canopy all travel by road to the mainland side, and anything for the island crosses by barge. We plan deliveries of tanks and dispensers well ahead and choose a canopy and store structure that can be built quickly with local crews.
Budget and programme for a station in Holbox
2026 reference: a new two-island station on the mainland side, with double-wall tanks, dispensers, canopy, store and forecourt works, between MXN 11 and 21 million in construction and installation, excluding land and brand rights. Any island facility is priced separately, after a feasibility check.
A realistic total programme is ten to sixteen months. The CRE permit, the ASEA authorisation and, where applicable, CONANP dominate; construction and installation take four to six months of that.
Scope: from the permit to a station dispensing fuel
We cover concept and executive design with services engineering, calculation records and specifications for the ASEA file, integration of the CRE retail permit, land use and the municipal licence, Protección Civil sign-off, management of the highway junction, civil works, tanks and lines, dispensers, canopy, convenience store, forecourt works and commissioning tests.
The budget comes out as line items with quantities and unit rates; every change is priced and signed before execution and payments go against verified progress. We hand over as-built drawings, calculation records, tightness certificates and equipment manuals.
Why the calendar is built from the filings
The civil works of a station are predictable: four to eight months depending on size. What is not predictable are the CRE permit, the ASEA authorisation and the highway junction, which run in months and do not depend on the contractor. So we start the file before the final executive design and run the three fronts in parallel rather than chaining them.
Weekly reports with dated photographs and a fortnightly video call from site, in Spanish, English, German, French, Russian or Chinese. We work with investors and operators who do not live in the area and need to follow both works and filings remotely.
The ground in Holbox: what it imposes on the project
- Municipality: Lázaro Cárdenas
- Environmental regime: CONANP (Yum Balam) + SEMARNAT + municipal
- Ground: sand bar over limestone
- Water table: very high, close to the surface
- Salt exposure: very high
A car-free island in a federal protected area: low heights, limited footprint and every load crossing by barge.
- Check the lot against the Yum Balam management plan before paying for design; it fixes what can be built.
- Plan deliveries in consolidated barge loads and keep a site buffer for days when the crossing is closed.
See the 42 mapped zones of the corridor in the zone checker.
Frequently asked questions
Is there room for a fuel station on Holbox?
A conventional forecourt makes more sense on the mainland, near Chiquilá. On the island, fuel demand is carts, motorbikes and boats, and any facility faces the strict federal review that applies inside the Yum Balam protected area.
Which authorities are involved?
The CRE for the permit, ASEA for safety and environmental authorisation, CONANP inside the protected area, and the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas for land use and construction. We prepare the files and build to them.
Do you only do the works, or the permit file too?
Both, and in practice they are inseparable: the drawings, calculation records and specifications the ASEA file requires are the same ones that govern the works. We assemble the file, respond to observations and coordinate the CRE retail permit with its holder.
What tests are handed over at the end?
Tightness certificates for tanks and lines, verification of the interstitial monitoring system, dispenser tests, as-built drawings, calculation records and manuals. Without that package the station cannot demonstrate compliance, and it is the first thing asked for in any later review.
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