Good Neighbor

Environmental Board 

Jeremy Turner, Executive Director 

Las Cruces, New Mexico 

September 8, 2011 

1
Overview

Overview of RETA 

LANL Report 

Development being Studied in NM 

Power Network New Mexico 

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New Mexico Renewable Energy 

Transmission Authority 

 RETA was Statutorily Created in 2007 by the NM 

Legislature 

 Can plan, finance, acquire, and own transmission and storage facilities

 30% of the power on a RETA project has to be from renewable sources

 Has the power of eminent domain 

 RETA Board Structure

 Six Member Voting Board of Directors 

o Three members are appointed by the NM Governor, one by the President Pro 

Tempore of the Senate, one by the Speaker of the House of Representatives 

and the State Treasurer or his designee. 

o Additionally, the Cabinet Secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural 

Resources Department serves as an additional advisory, non-voting member 

of the RETA Board.

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Organizational Chart 

NMFA Legislative Oversight 

Committee

Steve Elliott – Senate Pro 

Tem Appointee

Robert Apodaca – Speaker 

of the House Appointee

Michael Emerson –

Governor Appointee

Chairman Robert E. Busch 

– Governor Appointee Jeremy Turner –

Executive Director

Angela Gonzales –

Assistant Director

Joan Munsell –

Administrative 

Beatriz Rivera – Governor Manager

Appointee

Mark Valdez – Deputy State 

Treasurer 

Jodi Porter – EMNRD ExOfficio Member

4
RETA’s Efforts 

 Issued $50 million in revenue bonds 

 High Lonesome Mesa - 100 MW Wind Farm in Torrance County 

 Senate Memorial 44 – Senator Tim Keller 

 Required RETA to coordinate with other agencies to develop a map 

with renewable energy resource zones, and potential transmission 

corridors 

 Los Alamos National Labs Report 

 Independent study that evaluated statewide transmission concepts, 

economic benefits and cost allocation methodology 

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RETA’s Goal for the State 

Commissioned Los Alamos National Labs to complete an 

independent study to evaluate statewide transmission 

concepts, economic benefits and cost allocation methodology 

The Study Analyzed

Two potential systems, looped vs. radial line upgrades, necessary to 

export 5,200 MW of generation

Upgrades on a 5, 10 and 20 year planning cycle

Economic benefits and cost recovery options 

Total direct and indirect jobs that will be created 

Potential tax implications of each plan

Energy tax required to support each potential system 

RETA has entered into two MOU’s that directly advance the 

build-out of the system identified by this study (Lucky Corridor, 

LLC & GS Global Infrastructure Partners II, L.P.)

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LANL

Study –

Collector 

System 

Plan 1 

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Development Being Studied in NM 

Transmission Development 

 Centennial West – Line from New Mexico to California

 RETA MOU

 www.cleanlineenergy.com

 Lucky Corridor – Line in Northern New Mexico

 RETA MOU

 www.luckycorridor.com

 Southline – Line from New Mexico to Arizona

 www.blackforestpartners.com

 SunZia – Line from New Mexico to Arizona

 www.sunzia.net

 Tres Amigas Superstation – Interconnection of the three 

grids

 www.tresamigasllc.com

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Centennial West 

Clean Line 

 3,500 MW from NM to CA

 Overhead HVDC line

 Approximately 900 miles

 $2.5 Billion

 Project Owner - Clean 

Line Energy

 RETA MOU

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Lucky Corridor 

2,400 MW from 

Gladstone NM to Taos 

NM

Double-circuit 230 kV 

AC line

Approximately 102 

miles

$400 Million

Project Owner – Lucky 

Corridor LLC

RETA MOU

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Southline

1,500 MW from NM to AZ

Double-circuit 345 kV AC 

line that is approximately 

225 miles

Improvements to 

approximately 130 miles of 

existing transmission lines 

between the Apache (AZ) 

and Saguaro (AZ) 

substations

$550 Million

Project Owner – Southline 

Transmission, LLC., a 

subsidiary of Hunt Power, 

L.P. 

11
SunZia

3,000-4,500 MW 

from NM to AZ

Double circuit 500 

kV AC line or AC/DC 

hybrid configuration 

460 miles

Project participants

Salt River 

Project 

Shell 

WindEnergy

Southwestern 

Power Group II

Tri-State 

Generation and 

Transmission 

Assoc.

Tucson Electric 

Power

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Tres Amigas 

5,000 MW Superstation 

to interconnect the 

Nation’s three grids

Underground 

Superconductor cable

Location – Eastern NM, 

near Clovis, NM

Project Owner – Tres 

Amigas, LLC.

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Power Network NM

RETA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with 

---GS Global Infrastructure Partners II (GSIP) to jointly -------

---develop a collector system in Central NM 

GSIP created Power Network New Mexico LLC 

Specific Focus on developing the NM Collector System Project

Jointly controlled by GSIP and RETA

NM Collector System Project Details:

 Approximately 200 mile long line

 345 kV line with an initial carrying capacity of 1,500 MW

 2-year construction period with approximately 200 construction jobs (to be 

determined when construction takes place)

 Financing will be secured by transmission agreements

 Renewable development has the potential to exceed $1.8 billion
Conceptual Routing 

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Contact Us 

New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority 

1516 Paseo de Peralta

Santa Fe, NM 87501

www.nmreta.net

(505) 983-4458

jturner@nmreta.net

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