Jan. 16—On the other side of the Turquoise Trail from Eldorado, another solar project is drawing heated opposition.
Residents of eastern Sandoval County have packed meeting rooms in recent months to assail a sprawling solar and battery storage development proposed for an area east of Placitas by a company headquartered in Argentina. In many ways, the dynamic is similar to what is playing out in Santa Fe County with the Rancho Viejo Solar proposal: organized and fervent opposition to a large clean energy development, as boosters of the projects stress the need to slow the worsening impacts of climate change while neighbors worry about fire risk and other possible impacts to their homes.
The Diamond Tail solar and storage project would generate 220 megawatts of power from solar and 110 megawatts of battery storage on a 1,833-acre site, according to a summary of the project prepared by Sandoval County Planning and Zoning. The site is about 20 miles northeast of Albuquerque and 30 miles south of Santa Fe and positioned right on the Santa Fe County border, about 5 miles northwest of Golden, a presentation for the project indicates. As a result, it has stirred some discussion in Santa Fe County.
What the simultaneity of these twin land-use matters underscores is that, while many in blue-leaning New Mexico support the need for more green energy generation, such projects often face challenges as public utilities seek to meet clean energy targets set by the state.
Facing off against Diamond Tail, the East Mountains Protection Action Coalition has made its presence known. It’s no different in Santa Fe County, where groups like the Clean Energy Coalition of Santa Fe County have sought to defeat the Rancho Viejo project.
“I see that both communities are very concerned about fire protection associated with incredibly large industrial lithium battery storage facilities,” said Dennis Kellogg, a spokesperson for the East Mountains coalition.
The projects have support as well, with some expressing dismay about the the pushback the proposals have received.
“If you look across the country actually, there are a number of projects being opposed at any given time, and it all seems to level the same misinformation, and if you know anything about the technology, it’s really quite blatant that it is misinformation,” said Daniel Baker, a Santa Fe County resident who said he has professional experience working for solar companies.
The projects have drawn the attention of state lawmakers. Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, who heads the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, said he is considering a bill that would add an additional layer of government oversight for large-scale solar and battery storage projects.
“We’ve asked for a bill to be drafted that would direct the [Public Regulation Commission] to prepare rules dealing with appropriate siting of battery installation, solar installation and transmission lines,” McQueen said.
McQueen said that under the bill, large-scale solar and battery storage developments would still require approval from local governments but it would also give the Public Regulation Commission, which is responsible for regulating public utilities, oversight over the projects based on certain regulations that would have to be created.
“I’m not divesting local authority of that control but I’m adding another layer of review,” McQueen said.
Diamond Tail solar
The project, proposed by PCR Investments, would generate a power output that would be more than the entire annual residential load of Sandoval County and Santa Fe County, according to an October presentation from the company.
That would make the project larger than the Rancho Viejo Solar proposal, which would be capable of powering Santa Fe’s residential load, according to officials with AES Corp., the Virginia-based energy giant behind the project near Eldorado.
Both projects are in areas strategically located near PNM substations, with the Diamond Tail site about 6 miles southeast of the existing Diamond Tail Substation PNM owns.
After a contentious meeting, the Sandoval County Planning and Zoning Commission in December recommended county commissioners give the project, which requires a zoning change to move forward, the green light. A date has not been set for that hearing, according to county Planning and Zoning Director Daniel Beaman.
The East Mountains Protection Action Coalition claims the potential impacts and challenges include fire risks, the use of an “already dwindling” water supply, environmental impacts such as pollution from chemicals in solar panels and batteries and visual impacts which could decrease property values. PCR disputes this.
“A project that would not be considered safe would never get the financing nor the insurance needed to make it to construction, wrote Mariano Brandi, a PCR official, in an email. “In the event of a fire, although unlikely, the project would still be safe for the community. The distance towards the closest residence is enough for an event not to be a risk for any neighbor.”
According to its website, PNM is on track for 100% carbon-free energy by 2040. The New Mexico Energy Transition Act of 2019 requires electric utilities to generate 50% of their power from renewable sources by 2030 and 80% by 2040. Investor-owned utilities must reach 100% renewable sources by 2045 and rural electric cooperatives by 2050.
“Right project, wrong location,” Kellogg said. “New Mexico is the fifth-largest land mass state. There are abundant brownfields that are available for these kinds of industrial installations where there is a risk.
“My group and I personally support the use of wind and solar,” Kellogg said. “But it needs to go in the right location. We are not just sitting back and saying ‘Not in my backyard.’ “
Santa Fe County residents look on
Santa Fe County Commissioner Camilla Bustamante mentioned the Sandoval County project at a commission meeting Tuesday, bringing up something some Diamond Tail opponents maintain was said by a PCR official at a community meeting held to discuss the project in late October.
“It was stated in public forum that, if there was any type of breach to that system, the question was where would the smoke and the trail of those impacts go? And the answer was to Santa Fe,” Bustamante said. “And that made everybody in Sandoval County feel a lot better.”
Kellogg on Wednesday maintained the statement was heard by a large crowd present at the October meeting.
“He [the PCR official] was asked the question, if there is [a fire], how will it impact the East Mountains community? And to our surprise, his response was our risk management assessment and insurance believes the lithium plume would gravitate toward Santa Fe,” Kellogg said. “It kind of quieted the room, to be frank.”
In an email, Brandi wrote he was unsure “if the reference of Santa Fe is for Santa Fe County or Santa Fe city. The short answer is … in the event of fire on one of the Batteries, due to the distance to the closest residences from the project, fumes would not be a risk to any residents.”
In a telephone interview, Bustamante said she supports state regulations that identify or disallow locations for “utility-scale” energy storage.
“This is not about one specific project. This is about the ability to address this at the statewide level, not just one specific project,” said Bustamante.
Lee Zlotoff, who leads the Clean Energy Coalition of Santa Fe County, also believes there are parallels between Rancho Viejo Solar and Diamond Tail. Zlotoff also wants the Legislature to look at how large solar and battery storage development projects are sited.
“This seems to be part of the new gold rush out here, which is ‘Let’s see if we can put in these massive solar/battery facilities,’ ” Zlotoff said.