New Mexico
SunZia Southwest Transmission Project
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Project BackgroundThe BLM is the lead federal agency for the development of the EIS/RMPA for the proposed SunZia Southwest Transmission Project, which is being conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Federal Land Management and Policy Act, and associated regulations. Cooperating agencies participating in the development of the Draft EIS/RMPA include: Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona State Land Department, Arizona Game and Fish Department, National Park Service, New Mexico Spaceport Authority, New Mexico State Land Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Holloman Air Force Base, Ft. Bliss (U.S. Army), White Sands Missile Range (U.S. Army), Ft. Huachuca (U.S. Army), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Defense Siting Clearinghouse, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Consultation is ongoing with local, state, and tribal governments. This project is proposed by SunZia Transmission, LLC. The company plans to construct and operate two 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines originating at a new substation in Lincoln County in the vicinity of Corona, New Mexico, and terminating at the Pinal Central Substation in Pinal County near Coolidge, Arizona. The purpose of the proposed project is to transport electricity generated by power generation resources, including renewable resources, to western power markets and load centers. The SunZia project would enable the development of renewable energy resources including wind, solar, and geothermal generation by creating access to the interstate power grid in the Southwest. The alternative transmission line routes range from 460 to 542 miles in length. The BLM preferred alternative would be 530 miles in length. The alternatives would cross approximately 165 to 205 miles of BLM lands in Arizona and New Mexico, along with state and private lands.
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