PNM: Anyone got a spare 700 megawatts lying around?

A few weeks ago we posted in this space regarding the unsolved issues facing New Mexico’s electrical grid moving forward and that PNM was going to struggle to replace the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station when it shuts down after this summer.

The following was posted by PNM on its Facebook page on Monday, May 23rd, 2022. Presumably these 700 MW will need to be steady “base load” power, not JUST wind or solar, but with battery backup.  Or, a natural gas peaking station. By way of comparison, the San Juan Generating Station coal plant generates 847 MW currently.

Anyone got a spare 700 MW of power sitting around for next summer? Anyone feel comfortable that PNM will find the power it needs? Seems like at the very least your electric bill is on the way up.

All of this is driven by Gov. Lujan Grisham’s pet Energy Transition Act.