News Release

Oct. 29, 2012

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UPDATE Friday, Nov. 2, 1:30 p.m. MT PNM mutual assistance crews have completed their work for Baltimore Gas & Electric. Their next assignment is scheduled to take them to Passaic, N.J. Crews are expected to arrive Friday evening. Reporters and producers are encouraged to check our Twitter feed for updates.

PNM Mutual Assistance Team Responds to Hurricane Sandy

Albuquerque: Forty PNM employees depart today for Washington, D.C., to assist with restoration of power outages that are almost a certainty when Hurricane Sandy strikes the area.

The crews come from throughout the state, including Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Ruidoso, Alamogordo and Silver City and several have provided mutual assistance in past relief efforts following hurricanes. PNM is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, which coordinates mutual assistance efforts following natural disasters.

Several utilities on the East Coast are bracing for damage to their systems. PNM is responding to a request to assist PEPCO crews. PEPCO serves the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland.

"The level of assistance requested in preparation for this weather event is unprecedented," said Gary Stone, vice president, PNM Transmission and Distribution Operations. "We're sending experienced employees who will be working on an unfamiliar system by with a familiar mission: to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We recognize that we have an obligation to be a good corporate citizen, not just to our neighbors in Albuquerque, but residents who live in other states, as well."

The PNM crews along with nine bucket trucks, six line trucks and other utility vehicles will leave Albuquerque at about 2 p.m. today (Oct. 29) and expect to arrive to their destination around midday Thursday.

The PNM crews anticipate helping with a wide variety of post-hurricane restoration work, including the replacement of distribution poles and transformers, repairing downed electrical lines, running new services and repairing transmission structures.

PNM is a subsidiary of PNM Resources, which also owns TNMP, a utility in Texas. TNMP is sending 26 employees to assist in the Baltimore area. TNMP employees and equipment left Sunday, Oct. 28.

PNM will post updates on the restoration efforts on its Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/PNMElectric) and via Twitter (@PNMTalk).

With headquarters in Albuquerque, PNM is the largest electricity provider in New Mexico, serving 500,000 customers in dozens of communities across the state. PNM is a subsidiary of PNM Resources, an energy holding company also headquartered in Albuquerque. For more information, visit PNM.com.