Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PORTALES — A new source of energy will begin providing electricity to nearly 194,000 New Mexico homes next year with the construction of the 522-megawatt Sagamore Wind Project in Roosevelt County.
Xcel Energy announced Wednesday it will soon begin construction on the project after finishing its planning and development stage, starting sometime in the fourth quarter of 2019 and finishing by the end of 2020.
“Sagamore will pay for itself in the fuel cost savings it will generate by using one of the region’s most abundant resources — the wind — to drive its generators,” said David Hudson, Xcel president for New Mexico and Texas. “It will be among the cheapest generating resources on our system, and will help us conserve precious groundwater and protect the environment while bringing an immense economic benefit to eastern New Mexico.”
Additionally, Sagamore’s facilities will not use water as a component of its energy production, unlike most wind farms.
The project will cost roughly $900 million and will employ around 400 construction workers over the next year. Upon completion, it will be New Mexico’s largest wind farm, occupying over 100,000 acres in Roosevelt County and housing 240 turbines, according to Xcel. The turbines will be purchased from Vestas and Wanzek Construction will build the foundations and facilities.
Xcel will then bring on between 20 and 30 full-time employees to manage the facilities.
Sagamore is the largest addition in a 1,230-megawatt wind energy expansion project for Xcel’s New Mexico-Texas system. Xcel has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2030 and will be working toward making its electricity output 100 percent carbon-free by 2050.
As part of the expansion, Xcel also began purchasing 230 megawatts of electricity from Next Era Energy resources as part of its plan to go green.
According to a statement from U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, the expansion is thanks in part to a 2015 extension of a wind-energy production tax credit that has gone a long way to encourage investors to build projects in New Mexico.
“The Sagamore project is a great step toward a better future for New Mexico, and it will also mean critical investment in local businesses and students who will lead the energy industry into the future,” Balderas said. “I am pleased with the commitment that Xcel made to my office and the State of New Mexico to truly invest in local businesses and to grow New Mexico’s workforce.”
