New Mexico Conservation Groups To Discuss Work that Helped Shape Nation’s Largest Clean Energy Project

SunZia, the largest clean energy project in North America, came online in June. The $11-billion wind farm and transmission line harnesses the power of the wind in New Mexico to meet soaring electricity demand in Arizona and California.

Leaders of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and other conservation organizations will discuss the evolution of their support for the SunZia project Aug. 12 in Albuquerque at the NMWF’s monthly Wildlife Wednesday presentation. The free event also will feature a video presentation on the project by Bryan Rogala, a NMWF board member and videographer. Mike Sullivan, senior advisor to Sen. Martin Heinrich, will attend. 

Reconciling the nation’s need for clean energy with the SunZia project’s effects on New Mexico’s landscape and wildlife has forced the NMWF and other major conservation groups in the state to do some soul-searching. Ultimately, conservation leaders have come to support the project – recognizing that without commitment to clean energy, all our nation’s water, land and wildlife face an increasingly bleak future.

Over the more than 20 years that SunZia was in the planning stages, representatives from NMWF and other conservation groups have been involved in suggesting mitigation measures that steered the line away from some of the state’s most ecologically sensitive areas.

The conservationists also have been involved in identifying a critical waterfowl area along the Rio Grande north of Socorro that Pattern Energy, the project developer, has purchased. The company will donate the 1,100-acre parcel to the New Mexico Department of Wildlife to manage to mitigate project impacts on sandhill cranes and other birds that fly along the river.

“Our initial reaction was to oppose development because of the impact on wildlife, but we worked with Pattern Energy to increase habitat and public access in the Middle Rio Grande, one of the most popular places for hunting and recreation in the state,” said Jesse Deubel, executive director of NMWF. “This video is a collaborative effort between New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Audubon Southwest and New Mexico Wild to highlight these conservation wins.”

Judy Calman, New Mexico policy director at the National Audubon Society, said the conservation groups recognize that climate change is the greatest threat to the long-term vitality of ecosystems and bird species in New Mexico.

“With SunZia, we were able to balance protecting and conserving the places that are important for wildlife with the need to address climate change through renewable energy development,” Calman said. “We made this video about our work in New Mexico to potentially help conservationists in other Western states as they weigh these critical issues.” 

Bjorn Fredrickson, conservation director at New Mexico Wild, said the success of the SunZia project shows that early collaboration and communication between conservation groups, communities and developers is the best way to ensure that special places are protected from the worst impacts of development.

“These conversations should include how environmental mitigation might offset some impacts from infrastructure projects,” Fredrickson said. “The conservation community understands the need to fight climate change, and we want to ensure development is thoughtful, species-oriented and occurs in the least impactful place possible, thereby minimizing harm to our public lands.”

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, SunZia has a total net summer generating capacity of 3,650 megawatts (MW) and is composed of 916 wind turbines. SunZia’s capacity is more than three times larger than the next two largest wind farms, Alta Wind in Southern California (1,098 MW) and Great Prairie in northern Texas (1,027 MW). The SunZia Wind Project works with a high voltage transmission line to deliver the wind power generated to Arizona and California.

Pattern Energy started construction of the project in 2023 after nearly two decades of planning and permitting. The northern part of SunZia, located in San Miguel and Lincoln counties, has 242 turbines, while the southern part in Lincoln and Torrance counties has 674 turbines. 

Before the SunZia Wind Project came online, net summer wind generating capacity in New Mexico totaled 3,997 MW, according to the federal agency. The new capacity from SunZia will bring total wind capacity in New Mexico up to 7,647 MW. With this addition, wind accounts for 45 percent of the capacity mix in the state, followed by 19 percent from solar and 19 percent from natural gas capacity.

Most of the electricity generated at SunZia will be exported to Arizona and to Southern California. To export the power, Pattern Energy also built the SunZia Transmission Project – a 550-mile high voltage direct current transmission line that goes from the SunZia Wind Project site in central New Mexico to south-central Arizona.

Of the SunZia transmission line’s 3,021 MW of power capacity, the federal agency states that 2,131 MW will be delivered and consumed in Southern California via the Palo Verde Substation.

Robert “Bob” Busch, chairman of the board of the New Mexico Renewable Energy. Transmission Authority, recently released a statement about the SunZia project going online after decades of development.

“Seeing SunZia reach this milestone is astonishing because projects of this scale do not happen overnight,” Busch said. “They require years of visionary leadership, collaboration, problem-solving and perseverance from experts across New Mexico and beyond. I have had the privilege of watching this project evolve from an ambitious idea into one of the most significant energy infrastructure investments in our nation’s history.

“SunZia demonstrates New Mexico’s ability to lead in energy development while creating jobs, generating economic opportunity, and helping deliver reliable, clean power to millions of Americans,” Busch said. “On behalf of RETA, I congratulate Pattern Energy and all the partners who remained committed to this project through every challenge.”

The free Wildlife Wednesday presentation on the SunZia project will start at 5:30 p.m., Wed., Aug. 12, at the Marble Brewery NE Heights Taproom, at 9904 Montgomery Blvd. NE, in Albuquerque.