Dear Neighbor,
You may have received or may receive the following notice:
PNM Alert: Periods of extreme heat and high electricity demand may affect the electric system serving far Northeast Albuquerque. If needed, we’ll ask customers to voluntarily reduce energy use between 4–9 p.m. to help support grid reliability. For more information, including outage preparedness resources, visit PNM.com/ProtectTheGrid
SHHA Special Task Group Continued Efforts
The SHHA opposed the PNM substation project not because a new substation is not needed, but because as a result of PNM’s poor planning and a deeply flawed site selection process, PNM proposed to build the substation in the middle of a residential neighborhood. PNM ignored the many available and suitable commercial sites in the area. The County Commission agreed that PNM’s selected site was not substantiated by the data, and PNM is appealing this decision in the Second Judicial District Court. We are not experts in power transmission. Additionally, PNM has not made available the power demand and load data, so we cannot evaluate PNM’s claim that the lack of a substation is causing a critical, immediate need. We do note that even if the substation had been approved by Bernalillo County last month, construction would have taken many months or years, and we would be in the same predicament this summer. We have and will continue to work with PNM to identify an appropriate location for a new substation to accommodate local energy distribution needs. But we do not think it is fair or appropriate for PNM to blame its failure to plan for infrastructure on residents who are trying to preserve their neighborhoods.
How You May Help
Nevertheless, we encourage residents to conserve power during the current heatwave, especially during peak hours, to avoid or minimize brownouts.
Thank you for your continued support,
The SHHA PNM Special Task Group