New Mexico

Technology on the Move

Military and telecom expertise create high-tech utility solution

Imagine trying to hold a 120-foot antenna in 90 mile-per-hour winds…an antenna that if moved more than an inch, would lose its signal. That was just one of the challenges facing Xcel Energy as it strategized creating a temporary microwave connection to secure vital communications for a new substation in New Mexico in order to meet contractual requirements.

ONEOK Partners Completes Acquisition of Natural Gas Liquids Assets

ONEOK Partners completed the acquisition of natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines and related assets from affiliates of Chevron for approximately $800 million. ONEOK Partners now owns an 80 percent interest in the West Texas LPG Pipeline Limited Partnership (West Texas LPG) and 100 percent interest in the Mesquite Pipeline (Mesquite), which collectively consists of approximately 2,600 miles of NGL gathering pipelines extending from the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico to East Texas and Mont Belvieu, Texas.

Digest (Oct 2014)

Vattenfall awards Siemens Energy contract for wind turbines; Minnesota Power to build solar energy array at Minnesota National Guard Camp Ripley; Echelon agrees to sell grid operations to S&T AG; DTE Energy teams with Ford Motor Company to build Michigan’s largest solar array.

New Mexico Regulators Approve TECO Energy’s Acquisition of Gas Company

The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) decided unanimously that TECO Energy's pending stock acquisition of New Mexico Gas Intermediate (NMGI), the parent company of New Mexico Gas Co. (NMGC), is in the public interest and can proceed. The parties in the case reached a settlement on the acquisition, and the PRC staff did not oppose it. NMGC serves more than 513,000 gas customers throughout New Mexico.

First Solar Sells Macho Springs Solar Project to Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy

First Solar sold the 50-MW Macho Springs Solar Power Plant to Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy. El Paso Electric has a 20-year PPA for all energy generated by the power plant. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The power plant, located on approximately 600 acres of State Trust land near Deming, New Mexico, is the state's largest solar power plant.

Complying with 111(d)

Exploring the cap-and-invest option.

EPA is expected to provide states with latitude in meeting Clean Air Act GHG standards. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) demonstrates an effective and economical approach: “cap and invest.”

APS Completes Purchase at Four Corners Power Plant

Arizona Public Service completed its purchase of Southern California Edison's (SCE) ownership in Units 4 and 5 of the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington, N.M. As part of its plan - originally announced in November 2010 - APS has permanently closed the plant's older, less efficient Units 1, 2 and 3, and will install additional emission controls on the remaining units. Acquiring SCE's 48 percent interest in the larger Units 4 and 5 will increase APS's total Four Corners capacity from 791 MW to 970 MW.

Bargain or Bonanza

Is discounted cash flow (DCF) still a reliable tool for determining equity cost?

The time-honored discounted cash flow method for determining appropriate utility returns falls short when interest rates are low. Inadequate ROEs ultimately increase cost of capital and wipe away any temporary savings.

Industry in Transition

Utility CEOs face disruptive trends.

Top executives at AEP, the California ISO, and El Paso Electric address key challenges and opportunities.