US greenlights major transmission line for renewable energy in Western states
Story by By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press • Yesterday 1:58 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government is greenlighting a proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line that would send primarily wind-generated electricity from the rural plains of New Mexico to big cities in the West.
The Interior Department announced its record of decision for the SunZia project Thursday. It comes about a year after an environmental review was completed as part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to clear the way for major transmission projects as it looks to meet climate goals and shore up the nation's power grid.
The SunZia transmission project in New Mexico has been more than a decade in the making. The U.S. Defense Department and others initially raised concerns about the path of the high-voltage lines, prompting the developer to submit a new application in 2021 to modify the route.
New Mexico’s renewable energy authority is among those invested in the SunZia project, which would include roughly 520 miles (836 kilometers) of transmission lines and a network of substations for getting wind and solar power to Arizona and California.
The anchor tenant is California-based Pattern Energy, which has been busy building massive wind farms in central New Mexico.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-greenlights-major-transmission-line-for-renewable-energy-in-western-states/ar-AA1bn01C?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=4ca464c393be497ce405f8557ef2a702&ei=22
