Did You Know...
Virginia based AES Corporation is seeking a "Conditional Use" permit from Santa Fe County, for an ~800 acre Utility Scale Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage
and Solar Facility (Electric Power Facility).
This facility would also require a large substation, and above ground transmission lines.
A Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) poses the risk of a type of fire (thermal runaway fire) in which there is no current means of extinguishing.
AES has had 2 such known fires in the past 5 years (as well as other companies).
BESS Failure Event Database
This proposed location for this facility is NOT:
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on land that is already disturbed
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where few people would be at risk
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in a zone which is approved for this type of facility
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in a location that already had preexisting infrastructure.
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Rather, this is privately owned land being leased by AES and
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it will be located in a densely populated area just outside of Santa Fe (close to >10,000 people)
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It would be on land that had never been disturbed/built on.
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The electricity will be sold directly to the utility company - PNM (not specific to the local area).
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This massive facility is not "Community" solar, but rather a PRIVATE/FOR PROFIT facility (profit for AES and the landowner)!
The demolition of 800 plus acres for this facility would destroy the habitat for thousands of birds and animals and will displace and/or kill any wildlife
that lives in this location.
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The completely fenced in facility would be in the direct path of a known Migratory Corridor used by countless birds and other mammals.
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This facility (which contains toxic compounds) will be built directly on top of an aquifer that supplies water to thousands of people.
New Mexico is the 5th least densely populated state and has thousands of miles of transmission line that a Utility Scale facility could tie in to.
Santa Fe County has no specific Code Regulations in place regarding Utility Scale Renewable Energy projects.
Santa Fe County currently has no restrictions in place regarding appropriate siting of these types of facilities.
This specific facility, which will be located in the middle of thousands of people, within a mile of the Turquoise Trail Charter School, and in a location where winds are commonplace, and typically blowing east towards Eldorado (~1 mile away), will have no manned personnel and the nearest full time Fire Station is more than 10 minutes away!
Support New Mexico in transitioning to clean energy, while avoiding unnecessary risks to our communities and further destruction to our environment.