ABQ West Side Solar Project Looking for $1.2 billion in tax abatements
Just a few weeks after the Legislative Finance Committee of New Mexico’s Legislature stated that “More than half-billion in tax breaks generated little economic return for New Mexico,” Bernalillo County Commission is contemplating a $1.2 billion tax abatement (IRB) for a massive solar facility to be built on Albuquerque’s West Side. More details from the Albuquerque Journal here.
There are MANY reasons to oppose this plan. Here are some:
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- The article does not mention it, but it is estimated that a 400MW solar farm would consume between 1,600 and 2,000 acres of land. Considering that the site is near the Interstate (I-40) and Atrisco Vista, it would seem that there are better uses for land so close to Albuquerque. That’s 2.5 to 3.1 square miles. In familiar terms, this is equal to about 1,200 to 1,500 American football fields, or slightly larger than the size of Central Park in New York City;
- The project will create just six full-time jobs — four operators and two electricians. So, this is a lot of money and land for a project with nearly no economic impact;
- The article states that PNM is the likely purchaser of the power. PNM is legally mandated under the Energy Transition Act to fulfill MLG’s “transition” to 100% renewables. Why are we shifting the burden of this to New Mexico taxpayers?
You can reach out to the Bernalillo County Commission here: commission@bernco.gov
