Two central New Mexico solar projects are facing backlash from nearby residents amid concerns that battery storage may lead to devastating wildfires. Opponents are also concerned about impacts to limited water resources and increased traffic.
The developers of the Diamond Tail solar and battery storage project in the East Mountains attempted to alleviate some of the concerns during public meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Sandoval County Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear a zoning change request for the project on Dec. 10.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe County held a hearing Wednesday about a solar and battery storage project known as Rancho Viejo. AES, the Rancho Viejo developer, is seeking a conditional use permit. The Clean Energy Coalition for Santa Fe County, a nonprofit with nearly 1,300 members, is the most vocal opponent.
Catherine Babbitt with the CEC said the organization opposes Rancho Viejo because of the location. Babbitt said it is near three residential communities with more than 10,000 homes as well as several schools and a maximum security prison.
“It will create a potential hazard for fire, panic and other dangers,” she said.
Farther south, Sandoval County residents who live in the East Mountains have similar concerns. They already have concerns about fire suppression abilities in their communities and fear they will be bearing the brunt of the risks without benefiting from the electricity that Diamond Tail may bring onto the grid. This is because PCR U.S. Investments, the developer, hopes that its facility will provide electricity to the Public Service Company of New Mexico, but nearby residents are either off-grid or served by the Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative.
Mariano Brandi, CEO of PCR U.S. Investments, said it is “rather common to have opposition to solar projects.”
Brandi said there will likely still be people opposed to the project even after hearing PCR’s presentations and reading over the various documents and reports posted on the Sandoval County planning and zoning website.
“At least their opinions will be based on facts,” he told NM Political Report.
These projects are coming amid concerns of climate change and pressures to reduce carbon emissions.
“We are living in a time in which we have convenience and at ease of just general well being and economic prosperity that is generally unrecognizable to generations prior to us,” Joshua Mayer, the Rancho Viejo project lead for AES, said. “Now that has come at a cost, because powering the economy to get us to this point has largely been fueled by coal, natural gas and oil. And through that generation, there’s been an increase in the carbon dioxide concentrations in our atmosphere.”
Both AES and PCR are hoping PNM will enter into power purchase agreements with them in the future. Mayer said PNM is expected to issue a request for proposals toward the end of December. PNM will be looking for projects that could begin supplying electricity in the years 2029 through 2032.
Both Rancho Viejo and Diamond Tail would be located close to New Mexico Highway 14 and are hoping their proximity to Santa Fe and to existing PNM substations will make them competitive choices for PNM. Diamond Tail is also touting its ability to send power to Albuquerque.
Both projects are also in areas that developers say are considered lower fire risk.
Opponents say they are concerned that the batteries could catch fire and injure firefighters or burn through neighborhoods. They further argue that these fires are hard to extinguish and could require a firefighting foam that contains PFAS chemicals.
While battery fires are extremely rare, recent ones have garnered headlines nationally. One of these was the Escondido Fire earlier this year in California, which was developed by AES but owned and operated by San Diego Power Gas and Electric.
Opponents also are concerned about fires caused by lightning strikes.
In the case of PCR, Diamond Tail Ranch manager Roch Hart said there tend to be three to four lightning strikes on the ranch property annually, but these strikes don’t lead to fires starting. He said this is because the wild horse population keeps the vegetation down.
Hart said there are limited income sources for Diamond Tail Ranch. He said income from leasing land to the solar project will allow the ranch to address invasive trees and aquifer health. Hart said that will give a conservation feel to the ranch property that would only be possible otherwise if the land was donated to the government.
“That’s kind of our whole motive behind this,” Hart said. “This gives us that little bit of income to do the best for the ranch.”