522-MW Sagamore Wind Project boosted wind supply
Xcel Energy has 100% carbon-free electricity goal
New Mexico has 100% carbon-free power goal by 2045
Wind turbines provided more than half of Xcel Energy's electricity supply in its Texas-New Mexico service area in March as the company set an hourly wind peak production record April 11 at more than 86% of supply, according to a June 17 company statement.
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Register NowXcel Energy's regional energy mix was 51.1% wind energy in March, the highest monthly wind numbers yet recorded. In comparison, for all of 2020, wind energy accounted for 32% of the electricity delivered to Xcel Energy's Texas-New Mexico customers.
"Wind energy is a major component in the generating resources that produce clean, low-cost energy for a growing economy," David Hudson, president of Xcel Energy-New Mexico, Texas, said in the statement. "The integration of such a large amount of wind energy was not possible two decades ago, but investments in our transmission grid have enabled us take on more of these valuable energy resources for the benefit of our customers across our Texas-New Mexico region."
Xcel Energy has a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and reach 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. Carbon-free electricity made up 34% of Xcel Energy's mix in the Southwest by the end of 2020.
New Mexico's Energy Transition Act of 2019 mandates 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.
Growing wind fleet
The increase in wind supply was boosted by strong production from Xcel Energy's 522-MW Sagamore Wind Project, one of the largest wind farms ever built in New Mexico, which was completed in December 2020.
Xcel Energy has been adding wind energy into the regional generating mix for more than 20 years, primarily by purchasing the output of area facilities owned by other wind energy producers, according to the statement. In the last two years, Xcel Energy added 1 GW of new wind generation from facilities the company built and owns. The other wind project that contributed to the growth was the 478-MW Hale Wind Project in Texas that came online in 2019.
The fuel savings and tax credits combined are more than outstripping the annual cost to pay for the nearly $2 billion investment in Hale and Sagamore, and are now providing a net savings to customers, Hudson said in the statement.
Large factor in region
While March is typically one of the best months for wind energy production, wind has been coming on strong throughout the year, and for all of 2020 wind energy accounted for 32% of the electricity delivered to Xcel Energy's Texas-New Mexico customers, according to the statement.
Accounting for Sagamore production, Xcel Energy expects that 40% of the region's electricity supply will be derived from wind energy in 2021.
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Xcel Energy sets hourly wind peak production record at over 86% of supply - S&P Global
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