News Release

Dec. 18, 2009

UPDATE: MON., NOV. 21   All permits have been secured. The transformer will be moved through Bernalillo and Rio Rancho beginning shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The move is expected to take 2-3 hours, given the minimal traffic at that time.

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NEWS MEDIA CONTACT Kevin Fuller Telephone: (505) 241-2181

Large Transformer to Take to the Road in Bernalillo and Rio Rancho

Albuquerque: A massive transformer that has made a slow, 10,000 mile journey by sea and by rail will take to the roads in Bernalillo and Rio Rancho, N.M., this Sunday on its way to its final destination: a new electric switchyard northwest of Rio Rancho.

The $4 million transformer and new switchyard are part of a $41 million project to strengthen the electric grid that serves fast-growing northwest Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Bernalillo. The transformer will be the largest transformer operating on PNM’s electric system, which serves about 500,000 customers.

The transformer will be hauled by a massive, specialized truck that has 174 wheels on 24 axles and is the length of a football field, or about 300 feet. It is expected to take 8 to 10 hours for the truck to move the transformer about 12 miles from railroad tracks in Bernalillo, through Bernalillo and Rio Rancho, to the switching station currently under construction northwest of Rio Rancho.

The timing of the move is intended to minimize the rig’s impact on local traffic. However, it may cause some traffic delays at certain intersections.

Route of Travel (beginning at 4 a.m. and ending sometime between noon and 2 p.m.):

• The hauling rig will begin the journey from railroad tracks just north of Oak Street and Avenida Bernalillo in Bernalillo.
• The rig will proceed south on Oak Street, turn west on to Avenida Bernalillo, head north on Camino del Pueblo to Highway 550, go west on Highway 550 to Highway 528, head south on Highway 528 to Northern Blvd., head west on North Blvd. several miles to the point where the pavement ends at Encino Road.
• At that point, it will follow unpaved Encino Road and Frost Road northwest to the switchyard site.

PNM is a subsidiary of PNM Resources, an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M. PNM provides electric utility service to 497,000 customers in New Mexico. The company also sells power on the wholesale market in the West. PNM Resources stock is traded primarily on the NYSE under the symbol PNM. For more information, see the company's Web site at PNM.com.