Could California’s wet spring prevent summer blackouts in New Mexico and the West?

California’s well-documented snowy winter after years of drought could impact New Mexico’s electricity situation for the better this summer. California. Before the recent drought really got going 12.3% of California’s electricity came from hydro-power. As the bottom chart from the EIA notes California’s drought was having a negative impact on hydro production.

That certainly impacted California’s electricity reliability and it made New Mexico’s energy transition even more precarious. PNM had repeatedly raised concerns about electricity supplies for this summer.

We are by no means “out of the woods” even for this summer. But, California’s hydro-power boom could help stabilize the entire Western grid.