MEXICO CITY (AP) — Voters in central Mexico have approved a stalled gas-fired power plant.

Roughly 60 percent of those voting in the referendum called by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador voted in favor of the project in Huexca, southeast of Mexico City, which has faced opposition from some nearby communities.

Lopez Obrador said Monday he hopes the referendum will serve as a model for solving at least half a dozen other stalled natural gas projects.

Mexico has tried to take advantage of lower gas prices to switch many plants that burned fuel oil to natural gas.

But previous governments didn't consult local communities about the gas pipelines needed to supply the plants. Many communities opposed the projects and stalled them for years, costing the government $500 million per year.