Checking in on New Mexico’s Electricity Architecture

Natural gas may now be the most common fuel for electricity generation nationally, but in New Mexico, coal is still king. (Don’t tell the Sierra Club.)

Last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released 2013 data for state-level electricity pricing, generation, and fuel sources.

Slightly more than two-thirds of all power generated in New Mexico in 2013 originated in coal-fired plants. Natural gas supplied 25 percent of our juice. Wind produced 6.1 percent. The contribution of solar, in the fourth-sunniest state? A whopping 1.1 percent.

As for regional competitiveness, the retail price for a kilowatt hour in New Mexico was 9.25¢. Not the costliest, but there’s room for improvement. Neighbors Oklahoma (7.87¢), Utah (8.15¢), and Texas (8.66¢) were cheaper, while Colorado (9.88¢) and Arizona (10.14¢) were more expensive.