Albuquerque’s Energy Grid Gets Major Capital Investment
New Mexico’s Energy Storage System Paves Way for a Green Future.
Dec. 14, 2022
The City of Albuquerque is announcing a $95 million Industrial Revenue Bond to assist in the creation of what will be one of New Mexico’s first stand-alone battery energy storage system (BESS), a piece of advanced energy infrastructure that is necessary as New Mexico progresses towards a 100% emissions-free future for electricity production.
The “Sandia Peak Grid” BESS project is a utility-scale electric storage facility that provides flexible, emissions-free capacity and ancillary services to support a decarbonizing New Mexico electric system while maintaining reliable and low-cost electric service to Albuquerque homes and businesses. The facility stores energy, including energy generated by renewables like solar and wind, to then use when consumers need it, keeping energy flowing and prices down. By managing the supply of stored energy in the grid, this is an important technology enabling the growth for the city’s renewable energy sector.
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“Since development of the project began in 2020, the Eolian team has been engaged with the community and elected officials to ensure that this investment will have a positive impact on the city,” said Eolian CEO Aaron Zubaty. “This location was chosen years ago because of its ability to provide modern, fast-responding, and pollution-free reliability and grid-balancing solutions directly in the heart of PNM’s largest load zone, adjacent to a gas-fired power plant. We are excited to see this major milestone completed with the support and partnership of the City of Albuquerque.”