PNM sets to acquire Western Spirit Transmission Line project

The Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is set to acquire the Western Spirit Transmission Project, 165-mile transmission line project in New Mexico, USA. 

The 345kV AC transmission facility approximately 165 miles, connects the 1000 MW Mesa Canyons Wind Farm, running northwest through five counties to the western side of Albuquerque, to the Rio Puerco substation owned by Public Service Company of New Mexico.

The Western Spirit transmission project, under development since 2010, will carry 800 MW of electricity from wind farms that Pattern Energy Group 2 LP, doing business as Pattern Development, built in the Estancia Valley in central New Mexico near Corona.

Pattern Development is a global wind developer that already operates a 324-MW facility known as the Broadview Wind Farm north of Clovis. Pattern Development is now building a 221-MW facility, the Grady Wind Center, just east of Broadview, to supply about 550 MW of renewable electricity to utilities in California and other Western states.

With the deal, Pattern will pay PNM for using the transmission system through incremental rates that must still be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. None of the costs, however, will affect New Mexico ratepayers, because Pattern will pick up the entire bill as the sole user of the line, although it could allow other renewable energy developers to use some transmission capacity in the future.