Our Wind Project is Now Powering Half of San José Homes!
For the second time this month, we are thrilled to announce that one of our new renewable energy projects is up and running! Our New Mexico Wind Project, constructed and operated by Pattern Energy, began producing power as of December 31, 2021. It will deliver a massive amount of clean energy to our customers: 117 turbines producing 225 megawatts (MW) annually for the next 15 years. That’s enough clean electricity to power 186,000 San José homes each year!
We contracted to buy the energy at a cost-effective price, helping us provide competitive, stable rates.
On February 2, we announced the completion of an innovative solar and battery storage project in Kern County with developer Terra-Gen that is delivering energy to SJCE customers in a unique format: fixed delivery of 62 MW of renewable energy between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. every day.
The two projects get us closer to our goal of providing renewable energy during more hours of the day. The Kern County project provides renewable energy all day until 10 p.m. Wind typically delivers power around the clock, including overnight. Importantly, both provide renewable energy during the crucial early evening hours when demand is high, helping to:
- Make the California grid more reliable,
- Reduce reliance on fossil fuels,
- Reduce air pollution, and
- Fight climate change.
SJCE’s wind investment is part of Pattern Energy’s larger Western Spirit Wind power projects, which is the largest single-phase build-out of renewable energy in U.S. history. Pattern Energy also developed and constructed a 155-mile transmission line to connect the project to the California electric grid.
Thank you for being our customer and helping make these projects happen! Learn more about our $1 billion investment in clean energy and reliability by visiting our Energy Sources and Reliability page.
