Input Stories

The biggest renewable energy project ever built in the U.S. has started producing electricity after a 17-year permitting and planning process (POLITICO’s Climatewire).

What’s going on: “SunZia Wind has begun testing its 916 turbines as it nears the start of commercial operations later this quarter, according to a person familiar with the project. The impact is already evident: California broke its record for wind generation eight times in the last four weeks, according to Grid Status, a website that tracks power flows.”

• The 3.5-gigawatt wind project will transmit power over a 550-mile transmission line to California.
• SunZia, which was proposed in 2006, will begin commercial operations later this quarter.

Why it’s important: SunZia will ultimately generate enough electricity for 3 million consumers in California and Arizona.

• And it “will create jobs, strengthen the grid and help build an all-of-the-above energy portfolio,” said Carla Sonntag, president and CEO of NAM partner New Mexico Business Coalition, in a recent op-ed for the Rio Grande Sun.

In a class of its own: “The only renewable project planned in the U.S. of comparable size is Chokecherry and Sierra Madre, a 3.5-GW Wyoming wind project that also is seeking to export power to California.”

• That project is scheduled to start delivering power in 2029.

What’s next: The long permitting process SunZia faced, and its successful start, should spur action on comprehensive permitting reform legislation that would help the U.S. see more such projects, Sonntag writes.

• “The SPEED Act means more than faster paperwork. … It would accelerate projects like SunZia and ensure future wind, solar and transmission investments do not face the same years-long delays.”