PNM defends data used in developing San Juan plant proposal

Dive Brief:

Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is defending the data it used in developing a plan to continue operating its San Juan coal-fired station, saying attacks by a clean energy group are a "baseless affront to the integrity of the PNM resource planning team," the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
Last month, New Energy Economy (NEE) told the Public Service Commission of New Mexico that it believes PNM used a "fictitious baseline" and "fabricated" data to support its plan for aging power plant.
An analyst contracted by the New Mexico attorney general also defended the data, saying she verified the plan's impact using an independent analysis.

Dive Insight:

New Mexico's San Juan generation station has been a source of contention between clean energy advocates who want it shut down and those who worry such an action will hurt a reliable power resource. In the latest turn of the ongoing saga, the New Energy Economy has asserted that PNM falsified data and baselines to keep the plant up and running.

The assertion sparked a strong response from both the utility and the state, which are defending the data.

PNM Director of Planning and Resources Patrick O’Connell filed a response calling the allegations "derogatory and inflammatory," and "a baseless affront to the integrity of the PNM resource planning team.” He also said the group's analysis "demonstrate a lack of expertise through their use of flawed techniques."

A contractor for the New Mexico attorney general's office, Andrea Crane from The Columbia Group, said she had independently verified the plan's impacts for a supplemental stipulation which was agreed upon by a handful of environmental and consumer advocacy groups in August as part of PNM's bid to garner support to keep the San Juan generation station running. However, NEE did not sign on to that stipulation.

Last month, NEE filed comments saying PNM claimed it will see zero load growth through 2033 in a bid to raise rates by 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 its comments to the Public Service 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.

In another move, NEE has filed a request asking four of the commissioners to recuse themselves from the PNM rate decision case, alleging cozy relationships and ex parte communications with the utility. PNM has since denied any sort of "inappropriate communication" with the Commission.