EMNRD News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) has awarded $83 million in grants to 23 projects that will upgrade the infrastructure for delivering energy to homes and business across the state while also reducing energy costs for many low-income New Mexicans.
The funding is part of $110 million that EMRD’s Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECAM) is tasked with distributing from the Community Benefit Fund (CBF) created during the 2025 legislative session.
The CBF is providing more than $200 million in direct investments to New Mexico communities, ensuring that cities, towns, and rural areas alike have access to funding for clean energy expansion, climate resilience and workforce development. ECAM is one of multiple state agencies distributing grants from the fund.
ECAM’s $83 million in disbursed grants are split between two programs:
- $67 million for the division’s Grid Modernization program, which supports projects that demonstrate how an upgraded electric grid can meet the state’s growing energy demand.
- $16 million will go to the Community Energy Efficiency Development (CEED) program, which aims to lower utility bills and increase comfort for residents of underserved communities by performing energy audits and installing equipment that improves energy efficiency.
“The Community Benefit Fund enhances New Mexican’s quality of life,” said EMNRD Acting Secretary Erin Taylor. “Modernizing the grid will support business growth, grid reliability and grid resilience across the state, while the CEED program will empower New Mexicans to choose to have safer, healthier homes while saving on energy costs.”
ECAM’s funding list includes $273,000 for Picuris Pueblo to develop a microgrid supported by solar power and a battery energy storage system and $31.1 million for New Mexico State University to expand an existing test bed for field testing new grid technology.
“These investments show New Mexico’s commitment to building a modern, reliable electricity system that serves every community in our state,” said ECAM Division Director Rebecca “Puck” Stair. “We are supporting projects that lower costs, improve resilience and expand access to clean energy, delivering benefits for New Mexicans both today and into the future.”
The list of projects approved for funding:
- Grid Modernization Projects – $67 million. Eligible applicants include New Mexico municipalities, counties, state agencies, public schools, universities, and Native American nations, tribes and pueblos.
- Luna County $9,171,966
- Substation upgrades to enable the connection of community solar projects to the power grid.
- Northern New Mexico College $1,639,489
- Final construction of the El Rito solar-powered microgrid that includes a battery energy storage system (BESS) to improve energy resilience in an isolated community.
- New Mexico Tech $3,340,419
- Deployment and testing of fiber optic infrastructure on the Playas demonstration microgrid in the New Mexico bootheel.
- Picuris Pueblo $273,000
- Design and engineering for a solar-powered microgrid and BESS supporting tribal sovereignty and energy resilience.
- New Mexico State University $3,281,585
- Development and integration of the Peñasco Microgrid.
- New Mexico State University $290,563
- Research to improve energy security through secure smart grid communication protocols.
- New Mexico State University $31,125,585
- Large-scale expansion of an existing grid test bed.
- Socorro County Emergency Management $200,000
- Installation of smart grid technology.
- City of Socorro $610,000
- Feasibility study for a 5 MW BESS.
- University of New Mexico $9,627,174
- Geothermal heat pumps and BESS to support campus heating and cooling.
- University of New Mexico $788,186
- Optimization and control framework for advanced energy storage architectures.
- Valencia County $1,713,464
- Feeder upgrades enabling community solar connections to the power grid.
- Village of Taos Ski Valley $2,763,607
- Construction of a microgrid supporting a major regional economic engine
