Commissioner Garcia Richard Awards Two Wind Leases to Pattern Energy
SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today that two subsidiaries of parent company Pattern SC Holdings LLC have won the bids for two leases to develop wind energy on more than 15,000 acres of state land. It was revealed that the two subsidiaries had submitted the highest bids when envelopes were opened on the steps of the State Land Office at a public auction this morning. EW-0107, won by Canyon Winds LLC with a bid of $150,000, is a 2,318-acre wind energy lease in Lincoln County. EW-0108, won by El Corazon Wind LLC with a bid of $1 million, is a 13,370-acre wind energy lease in Torrance County. The minimum required bid for each lease was $50,000. In addition to the winning bid amounts, the two leases are expected to generate $5.2 million in additional revenue for New Mexico’s public schools and New Mexico State University.
“Renewable energy companies are eager to break ground in New Mexico, and we are thrilled that the results of this bid opening help to advance this growing industry while bringing in big money for our school kids. This is yet another example of what I mean when I say the State Land Office is open for business,” said Commissioner Garcia Richard. “New Mexico is blessed with plenty of natural wind and sun, as well as 9 million acres of state lands of varying topographies. This combination of factors is the perfect recipe to allow my office to pursue aggressive expansion of renewable energy projects on state lands. While we’ve already tripled renewable energy leasing on state lands, we are still just getting started.”
This summer, Pattern was awarded 11 additional leases to construct a wind farm in Lincoln, San Miguel, and Torrance Counties. The project is expected to add over 500 megawatts to New Mexico’s wind energy profile and generate more than $196 million for New Mexico’s public schools and other important institutions over the lifetime of the project. In all, eight distinct public institutions will benefit from the leases awarded today including New Mexico public schools, Eastern New Mexico University, Colfax Miners Hospital, New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University.
Commissioner Garcia Richard created the first-ever Office of Renewable Energy within the Commercial Division at the State Land Office with the goal of tripling renewable energy leasing and production on state lands. When Commissioner Garcia Richard awarded eleven leases to Pattern in June, the State Land Office accomplished that goal. From January 2019 through September 2022, annual revenue from renewable leases on state land increased 1,400% and the number of active leases increased 208%.