Wind Power News: New Mexico
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Commissioners hear plans for wind farm
A northern California renewable energy company plans to build a $300 million wind generating site in southeastern New Mexico, with about half of the turbines to be located in Chaves County. Brian Sarantos, senior development manager of EDF Renewables North America of Oakland, California, part of an international conglomerate, talked about the company’s plans to build the Oso Grande Wind Farm on Thursday during a Chaves County Board of Commissioners meeting. EDF Renewables has entered an agreement with Tucson Electric . . . Complete story »
PRC decision blindsides Facebook, state officials warn
A state Public Regulation Commission decision Tuesday requiring PNM to bill Facebook for nearly half the cost of a new, $85 million transmission line could reverberate well beyond New Mexico’s borders. State officials and economic development professionals say the decision could be seen as reneging on previous PRC commitments, causing a “chilling effect” on efforts to recruit more large companies to New Mexico like Facebook, which is building a massive data center in Los Lunas. Facebook says the decision could . . . Complete story »
Tucson Electric Power to double its renewable energy output with New Mexico wind project
Tucson Electric Power is building its biggest renewable-energy project yet – a massive wind farm in southeastern New Mexico that will help the company more than double its generation of renewable energy by 2021. The planned Oso Grande Wind Project will generate up to 247 megawatts of power, enough to power nearly 100,000 homes, TEP said. Currently, the biggest renewable-energy project TEP owns or buys energy from is the 72-MW Red Horse wind and solar project near Willcox. Combined with other . . . Complete story »
Lincoln County sets stage for wind farm industrial revenue bonds
If Mesa Canyons Wind LLC moves ahead with a request for Lincoln County to issue industrial revenue bonds for the wind farm project near Corona, the county and two school districts might see first checks in late 2020 compensating for the non-payment of property taxes. Everything depends on the timing and intentions of the wind power initiative, the county’s financial counsel told commissioners at a meeting last week as they approved a resolution related to the proposed industrial revenue bonds . . . Complete story »
Push for more renewable energy clears New Mexico Senate
The legislation would set aggressive new quotas for renewable energy production by New Mexico’s publicly regulated utilities and cooperatives. The goal is to produce 50 percent of retail electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2030 and be carbon-free by 2045. Complete story »
Turbine topples amid high winds
Shana Shoemaker Stowe of House shared an album of photos of the downed wind turbine on Facebook. As of Monday morning, it had been shared more than 2,900 times on the popular social-media network and prompted hundreds of comments. Bryan Garner, a media-relations representative for NextEra Energy Resources that runs the Casa Mesa Wind Energy Center wind farm near House, stated in an email Sunday that the wind turbine “failed” about noon Saturday. “We monitor our sites remotely, 24/7, and . . . Complete story »
Bill seeks electrical power competition, local control in New Mexico
Two Democratic state senators on Monday introduced a bill they say would open up New Mexico’s electricity markets to competition and give local communities control over who supplies their energy. Sens. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces and Benny Shendo of Jemez Pueblo said their Local Choice Energy Act would result in more energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar in cities, towns and pueblos throughout the state. At a Monday news conference at the Capitol, Steinborn said Senate . . . Complete story »
Bill seeks changes to state renewable energy standard
Ask representatives from New Mexico’s three public utility companies if they’re poised to comply with a state mandate to sell 20 percent renewable energy by 2020, and the answer is likely to be a resounding yes. A deeper dive paints a more complex picture. According to data from the state Public Regulation Commission, which signs off on companies’ renewable plans, all three utilities will come up anywhere between four and eight percentage points short of the oft-publicized milestone. That’s thanks . . . Complete story »
County signs off on $400 million wind farm
Grant County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the issuance of $400 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds for the Great Divide Wind Farm project in the southern tail of Grant County, just three days after the Silver Consolidated Schools Board of Education offered their approval. The votes clear the way for what is essentially a tax break for the green energy project. “It’s almost identical to some of the wind farm projects that we’ve seen installed, mostly on the eastern side . . . Complete story »
Formula approved for distribution of wind farm payments in lieu of taxes
After months of debate and the submission of a new proposal from Pattern Energy, Lincoln County commissioners approved a plan for division of payments in lieu of property taxes to be paid over the next 30 years for a wind power project near Corona. In a 4-1 vote last week with Commissioner Tom Stewart opposing, they adopted a proposal presented by Crystal Coffman, senior manager of business development for Pattern Energy, based on a PILT payment of $2,800 per megawatt . . . Complete story »
