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PHOENIX, AZ (January 24, 2015) – The SunZia Southwest Transmission Project received a “Record of Decision” (ROD) today from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its proposed transmission project covering 515 miles between New Mexico and Arizona. The ROD concludes the federal permitting effort, which officially began in May 2009, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
“We are excited to reach this milestone and to be one major step closer to unleashing the renewable energy potential of the southwest and creating jobs” said Tom Wray, SunZia Project Manager. “Reaching an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to take measures to preserve and protect the current and future missions of the White Sands Missile Range was the final hurdle in this process and a huge accomplishment in itself. And none of this would have been possible without the exhaustive and thorough environmental review and analysis conducted by BLM.”
Development efforts will now turn towards seeking state and local siting approvals in New Mexico and Arizona.
SunZia reached a number of milestones during its federal permitting efforts, including designation by the White House as one of only seven transmission projects in the country to receive accelerated permitting treatment, formal sponsorship by the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority and initial agreement with Boston-based First Wind Energy to receive anchor tenant status. SunZia will have additional announcements as other developments currently underway reach completion.
About SunZiaSunZia Southwest Transmission Project is an extra-high-voltage transmission project that will help enable the delivery of energy, including renewable energy, to customers in the Desert Southwest, while greatly improving the reliability of the existing high voltage electrical grid. The system will span 515 miles between Arizona and New Mexico. It includes up to two new 500kV transmission lines and five electrical substations that will provide up to 3,000 megawatts of new capacity. Once all local, state and federal permits have been obtained, final design and engineering, acquisition of rights-of-way, and construction are scheduled to begin in 2016, with operation scheduled by 2020. www.SunZia.net.
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