Anjali Taneja House District 18 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
Climate change, marked by more frequent and intense heat waves, is putting increased pressure on the electric grid. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) faces an additional challenge during the peak-demand summer season of 2022 due to pandemic-related supply-chain issues that have delayed construction of resources meant to replace the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station, which is scheduled for retirement in June.
PNM may need to keep San Juan operational for an extra three months to maintain a sufficient reserve margin until replacement resources are expected to become available in September. However, this short-term measure should not lead to continued reliance on coal and gas plants. PNM's decision to retire San Juan is based on economic factors; transitioning from coal at San Juan to solar and storage solutions could save customers an average of $6-7 monthly on their electric bills. Additionally, the aging plant has its own reliability concerns.
The utility company does not anticipate shortages once new resources are online. Any alternative resource, such as a gas plant, would face similar supply-chain delays without any evidence suggesting earlier readiness. The issue lies with timing rather than resource type.
Legislative action is urged as a vital step toward addressing these challenges through comprehensive climate legislation aimed at protecting families and fostering a diversified economy beneficial for all New Mexicans. Without rapid reduction in greenhouse emissions, severe weather events will continue threatening electricity supplies and livelihoods. The Clean Future Act (HB6), sponsored by Speaker Brian Egolf among others, aims to tackle these threats by reducing climate pollution across various sectors while building upon reductions achieved in the electric sector through previous acts.
Supply-chain bottlenecks caused by COVID-19 and rapid economic resurgence have affected industries globally, including energy facility construction like renewables. Blackouts result from imbalances between supply and demand; they have occurred worldwide regardless of energy source cleanliness.
Recent legislative progress includes passing the Community Energy Efficiency Development Block Grant (HB37) through the Senate—pending gubernatorial approval—which allocates funds for low-income New Mexicans' home weatherization efforts aimed at reducing energy demand while saving costs.
To ensure a resilient future focused on clean-energy transition in New Mexico requires decisive legislative measures such as CEED along with enacting initiatives like those proposed under HB6—the Clean Future Act—to pave way towards sustainable growth opportunities statewide.
