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NNSA Announces Partnership with Los Alamos County to Power DOE Labs in New Mexico with Carbon-Free Solar Energy – Los Alamos Reporter

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NNSA PRESS RELEASE

A partnership with Los Alamos County will provide two Department of Energy national laboratories in New Mexico with electricity generated by the new Foxtail Flats solar and energy storage project, scheduled to be operational by March 1, 2026.

This action, which represents the largest-ever carbon-free electricity (CFE) procurement for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s federal sustainability goals, advance America’s clean energy industry and jobs, and build healthier communities.

When fully operational, the Foxtail Flats Solar and Storage project in Los Alamos County is expected to deliver 170 megawatts (MW) of emission-free solar power and 320 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery power to Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the Department of Defense’s Kirtland Air Force Base.

President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan calls for the government to lead by example to help solve the climate crisis. It sets an ambitious path to achieve 100% CFE for federal government operations by 2030, including 50% based on 24/7 hourly matching, along with ambitious goals for electric vehicles and net-zero buildings.

“The Foxtail Flats Solar and Storage project is the result of successful partnerships across New Mexico with a shared goal of providing reliable, resilient, and cost-effective energy that advances the CFE,” said NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby. “The project demonstrates that by working together, we can dramatically advance clean energy on the path to 100 percent CFE.”

Foxtail Flats is developing the project under an agreement with Los Alamos County to provide electricity for 20 years at a fixed price below current market price. The developer will build the project on land leased from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, a private landowner, and the state of New Mexico near the former San Juan Generating Station northwest of Farmington.

“President Biden has directed the federal government to use our purchasing power as the nation’s largest consumer of energy to support the growth of America’s clean energy industry — and to do it in a way that works for taxpayers and communities,” said Andrew Mayock, federal director for sustainability at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Strengthening and deepening partnerships with utilities and our state, tribal, and local partners will spur new clean electricity production, create good-paying jobs, increase our resilience to climate change, and improve our national security.”

Philo Shelton, Los Alamos County Utilities Manager, says, “As a member of the Los Alamos Power Pool (LAPP), we are committed to achieving zero-emissions energy. We have been looking to phase out coal–the San Juan Generating Station, which closed in September 2022 and supplied LAPP with 36 megawatts of power. This Foxtail Flats project is a coal project–free, renewable exchange that perfectly meets LAPP’s needs and is an important step towards achieving our goals of producing carbon-free electricity.”

Federal demand for new sources of locally delivered, carbon-free electricity will save taxpayers money and create good-paying jobs, a more stable and resilient grid, and cleaner air for local communities. The Foxtail Flats Solar and Storage project will deliver a range of benefits, including:

  • Increasing the amount of CFE on the grid to reduce electricity costs for Los Alamos County residents while ensuring the stability of the local community’s power grid;
  • Increasing the overall electricity supply to accommodate the projected increase in the use of high-performance computing equipment by laboratories;
  • Replacing the 36 MW that DOE/NNSA previously obtained from the San Juan Generating Station, a coal-fired facility that closed in 2022, and other expiring energy contracts;
  • Increasing DOE/NNSA’s reliance on solar energy, which is more predictable and less variable year-round than the seasonal run-of-river energy production at the two hydroelectric facilities in the County from which DOE/NNSA currently obtains CFE;
  • Helping DOE and the Department of Defense achieve President Biden’s goal of 100% CFE by 2030 and Los Alamos County achieve its goal of carbon neutrality in electricity by 2040;
  • Reducing the cost of energy from fossil fuels compared to energy from coal- and gas-fired power plants in the region;
  • Helping replace jobs lost due to the closure of the San Juan Power Plant;
  • Generating land lease payments to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the State of New Mexico; and
  • Providing the region with a reliable, long-term source of gross receipts tax revenue.

Background:
With more than 300,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles, the U.S. government is the nation’s largest consumer of energy. In December 2021, President Biden issued the Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs the government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, energy-efficient buildings, and carbon-free electricity. Specifically, the Plan directs the government to transition to 100% CFE by 2030, with at least half of that to be locally supplied with clean energy to meet 24-hour, hourly demand. Over the past three years, the U.S. government has signed agreements to provide 100% CFE to federal facilities in 16 states by 2030, increasing the U.S. government’s reliance on clean energy from 38% to 47% on its way to 100% by 2030.