Clean energy advocate casts doubt on data PNM used to back San Juan power plant proposal

Dive Brief:

New Energy Economy (NEE) told state regulators that it believes that the Public Service Co. of New Mexico (PNM) used a "fictitious baseline" and "fabricated" data to support its plan for the San Juan coal generating station, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
According to NEE, the utility told regulators it expects zero load growth through 2033, in support of a rate hike, but used different figures to back its proposal to acquire baseload resources.
PNM is still reviewing the comments, but said it will file a response within a week.

Dive Insight:

What will PNM's demand look like in 2033? That appears to be the central issue behind a new filing from New Energy Economy, which alleges that PNM has given regulators two different answers depending on what proposal it is putting forth.

According to the clean energy advocate, PNM claimed it will see zero load growth through 2033 in a bid to raise rates 15.8%. However, in support of its plan to acquire more baseload resources at the San Juan coal-generating facility, the utility has told regulators is expects 20% load growth across the same period.

“In other words, PNM’s testimony and discovery responses provide fundamentally contradictory information,” NEE said in comments filed with the Public Regulation Commission.

PNM wants to shutter two units at San Juan, and replace the lost capacity with more coal power from another unit at the plant. Natural gas, nuclear and some solar power would also be used to make up the lost generation, but opponents of the plan say they want to see more renewables in the mix.

“For the first time in history, solar and wind also are far better in terms of cost than coal and nuclear,” NEE said in its testimony. “The market for coal is collapsing. ... Yet, PNM management predetermined the outcome of the replacement power package in 2012 and has bent over backwards to manipulate the outcome of this case to mislead the public and the [regulation commission] to believe that coal and nuclear continue to be cost-competitive.”

PNM issued a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican saying it was still reviewing the filing and would submit a response by Oct. 5. However a spokesperson said, "PNM does not agree with any of the characterizations in the executive summary."