New Mexico commission denies gas unit under construction, citing zero-carbon law

摘要

The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission denied Dec. 16 a request by El Paso Electric Company to build a 228-MW natural gasfired unit because it will not meet the state’s 2045 net-zero goal, although the company has already started construction on the facility. The commission’s hearing examiner, Elizabeth Hurst, recommended denying EPE’s request because it was in the best public interest for New Mexico, and the five-member commission agreed during the Dec. 16 meeting. The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved the proposal Oct. 16 as EPE’s jurisdiction is split between the two states.