- PNM plans to replace its San Juan coal plant with a solar plus storage power plant.
- The company plans to supply 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040
New Mexico’s Public Service Company (PNM) plans to procure clean energy from solar and energy storage facilities next year as it retires its 562MW San Juan coal Generating Station. PNM will acquire energy from the Arroyo Solar and Storage Project, a 300MWac solar PV plus 150MWac/600MW battery storage facility. The company has signed two separate offtake contracts for its solar and storage output as it looks towards supplying 100 per cent emissions-free electricity by 2040.
Last October, there were reports of a proposal that would keep the coal plant open with the adoption of new technology. “A new $1.4 billion overhaul would help it meet stricter environmental requirements. The plant would be retrofitted with carbon capture technology which the Department of Energy said would help protect jobs as well as tax revenue,” according to a report by KQRE. However, scepticism among New Mexico lawmakers and the complex requirements will see the city’s energy partner Enchant Energy transfer the long-term liability to the state government, something the state authorities want to avoid.