A wind project billed as the largest clean energy installation in the U.S. is due to come online next month, even as the pipeline of new large-scale renewables dries up amid pressure from the Trump administration.
The SunZia wind farm in New Mexico, providing 3.5 gigawatts of power capacity — enough to power one million homes annually — will be operational as soon as June 15, according to people familiar with the matter. The project includes a 550-mile transmission line carrying electricity to Arizona, and has been in the works for two decades.
The Pattern Energy Group LLC development is likely to be one of the last in a shrinking pool of blockbuster deals to reach fruition, with President Trump’s government ending lucrative federal tax incentives and delaying permitting for renewables. The Pentagon is also sitting on a growing backlog of dozens of proposed U.S. wind farms and withholding authorizations key for developing the power projects.
A spokesperson for Pattern Energy declined to comment.
Roughly 5,000 wind turbines for other projects are awaiting final approval from the U.S. administration, according to research last month from consultant Wood Mackenzie. Failure to clear projects currently held by the Department of Defense may reduce installations by 17% through the end of the decade, or by about 7 gigawatts, the report said.
SunZia will provide a key source of power ahead of what is forecast to be another hot summer across California and Western U.S. states that will strain the grid. Drought and low snow pack over the winter is set to reduce the amount of hydropower in the region, so wind could help provide a key source of relief.
U.S. clean-energy installations are forecast to hit another record this year, despite facing policy opposition from the federal government. SunZia lined up $11 billion of funding in the last days of 2023.
Ainger writes for Bloomberg. Mark Chediak of Bloomberg contributed.
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