New Mexico regulators signed off this week on a 550-mile transmission line to carry wind powered electricity westward to Arizona.
The Sun Zia Transmission Project is owned by Pattern Energy and won final permitting from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission as well as the Arizona Corporation Commission. It means construction can begin next year.
The$8 billion project is described as the largest wind power project in the Western Hemisphere and could provide electrical power to 3 million residents.
Under the Sun Zia Wind Project, up to 3,500 megawatts of wind energy will be generated. The electricity will be sent through the transmission line in southern New Mexico. Once it arrives in Arizona, the power could be transported to California markets.
The final approval rests with the Bureau of Land Management and it is not expected until April 2023.
