Biggest ever US clean energy project is complete after nearly two decades

June 18 (Reuters) - The biggest ‌ever U.S. ​clean ​energy infrastructure project, an $11 billion wind farm and transmission line in New Mexico, is fully operational after nearly ‌two decades of permitting and construction, owner Pattern Energy ⁠Group said on Thursday.

SunZia is a 3,650-megawatt wind farm and 550-mile (885-km) transmission ‌line that will carry power ‌from central New Mexico to south-central Arizona. About two-thirds of the electricity will then be sent west to customers in ​California.

Its completion comes as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has slowed permitting progress on renewable energy projects, ⁠particularly wind, and is prioritizing fossil fuel development.

SunZia can serve the annual needs of about ​1 million homes and is three times larger than the next two biggest U.S. wind farms, according ​to the Energy Information Administration.

The project ‌began development in 2008 and underwent years of permitting hurdles before Pattern started construction in 2023.

Pattern ⁠said its completion was a milestone for the U.S. power industry, which is experiencing soaring demand that requires both new generation and the ⁠wires to deliver electricity where it is needed.

"SunZia proves that we can still ​build the consequential infrastructure this country needs," Hunter Armistead, Pattern Energy's chief executive, said in a statement.

Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, ‌said SunZia was a clear example of the urgent need for federal permitting reform to meet ‌the growing needs of industries, including advanced manufacturing and technology.

"You should ⁠be able to get ‌to the right answer ​in, you know, five, six years, not 17," Heinrich said in an interview.

(Reporting by Nichola GroomEditing by ‌Rod Nickel)

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