New Mexico

High-voltage substation construction and transformer work across New Mexico. Here is the grid ESS operates in.

How New Mexico makes its power

New Mexico has shifted toward wind, which became its largest electricity source at roughly 38 percent of in-state generation in 2024, closely followed by natural gas at about 36 percent. Coal has declined to under 20 percent after the 2022 retirement of the San Juan Generating Station, though the Four Corners Power Plant continues to operate, and solar is a growing contributor.

Grid challenges

New Mexico's strongest wind and solar resources sit far from major population centers, so long-distance transmission projects such as SunZia and Western Spirit are being built to export power to Arizona, California, and other states. The state spans two grid interconnections, with most utilities in the Western Interconnection and eastern New Mexico tied to the Eastern Interconnection and the Southwest Power Pool. Interconnection queues and the transition away from coal under state clean-energy policy remain ongoing challenges.

Major utilities and grid operators

  • Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM)
  • El Paso Electric (southern New Mexico)
  • Xcel Energy / Southwestern Public Service (eastern New Mexico)
  • Rural cooperatives (Kit Carson Electric, Continental Divide Electric)
  • Split between WECC and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP)

Sources

Substation work in New Mexico?

Tell us the voltage class, the site, and the timeline. ESS mobilizes across the West.

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