Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Xcel Energy is seeking proposals for a major expansion of its Texas-New Mexico power generating system as older power plants are retired in the coming years.
According to a news release from Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves, another issue is electricity demand is forecast to increase to meet the needs of a growing regional economy.
“We have served this region for more than 100 years, and we have a strong history of investing in power generating resources to sustain the growth of our communities and key industries,” Xcel Energy President of Xcel Energy Texas-New Mexico Adrian Rodriguez said.
According to the news release, power forecasts show the region has a future need over 3 gigawatts (3,000 megawatts) of accredited capacity, which would translate to more than 5 gigawatts (5,000 megawatts) of additional nameplate capacity on the regional system by the end of the decade.
Right now, peak demand in Xcel Energy’s Texas-New Mexico service area is a little more than 6,000 megawatts.
Xcel has launched a competitive bidding process known as an all-source request for proposals, or RFP, meaning bidders may submit any type of technology in this key step toward acquiring the needed power generating capacity.
At this time, Xcel Energy owns and operates a fleet of conventional power generating stations in its Texas-New Mexico service area along with two large wind energy facilities.
The region’s energy mix also includes electricity generated by outside suppliers and sold to Xcel Energy through long-term contracts called power purchase agreements, or PPAs.
Xcel Energy is working with an independent monitor appointed by state regulators to ensure the design and execution of the RFP is fair, competitive and transparent.
Xcel Energy is a member of the Southwest Power Pool, which oversees the reliability of a transmission network covering all or portions of 14 states and operates a wholesale power market.
Bids from developers are due by Jan. 3.
All documents and guidance for submission may be found on the xcelenergy.com webpage.
