News Release

July 1, 2013
PNM Proposes More Solar and Wind Energy

Albuquerque: PNM today announced a plan to increase the solar PV it owns by 30 percent next year and to increase the wind on its system by 50 percent in 2015.

"We propose to make significant additions to the renewable resources already in our energy supply in a way that balances the environment with reliability and cost," said Gerard Ortiz, PNM vice president of regulatory affairs.

Proposed renewable resource additions:

  • Building 23 megawatts** of solar PV in 2014 mounted on tracking structures that follow the sun, bringing to 67 megawatts the total amount of company-owned solar PV. Three new solar centers will likely be constructed near the greater Albuquerque metro area.
  • Purchasing the wind energy produced by the 102.4-megawatt Red Mesa Wind Energy Center starting Jan. 1, 2015. The center, which is located about 50 miles west of Albuquerque in Cibola County, is owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources.
Map of current or under-development resources
Click map to enlarge

Resources currently online or under development:

44 megawatts of company-owned solar PV (22.5 megawatts installed in 2011 and 21.5 megawatts scheduled to come online this fall, of which 1.5 megawatts are dedicated to PNM Sky Blue);

  • The 200-megawatt New Mexico Wind Energy Center in House, N.M., online since July 2003;
  • The PNM customer solar program, which had 22 megawatts of solar PV installed on 3,300 customer homes and businesses as of June 21, 2013 and continues to grow;
  • New Mexico's first utility-scale geothermal plant (10 megawatts) being developed by Lightning Dock Geothermal in the Animas Valley and scheduled to be online by June 1, 2014.
  • By 2015, PNM's wind, solar and geothermal resources will provide the equivalent amount of energy to power approximately 132,000 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 915,000 metric tons ¿ the equivalent of taking 191,000 cars off the road annually.

"This renewable energy proposal is one of several separate steps that, taken together, mean a transition in the way we generate power. We also have an agreement to close two units at the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station by the end of 2017 and energy efficiency programs that reduce water use and emissions by helping customers save on energy and energy bills," Ortiz said.

PNM's renewable energy proposal meets the state's requirement for a fully-diversified renewable energy portfolio equal to ten percent of retail sales through 2014 and 15 percent starting in 2015, while keeping costs below the state's 3 percent cost cap, and will add 83 cents to the average residential monthly bill starting in 2014.

The plan must be approved by the N.M. Public Regulation Commission. For more information about renewable energy at PNM, visit PNM.com.

**Typically, a megawatt is a unit used for measuring the rated size of a power plant. The number of homes a power plant can serve depends on the size of the plant and the amount of energy it is expected to produce over a certain time period.

With headquarters in Albuquerque, PNM is the largest electricity provider in New Mexico, serving more than 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.