Albuquerque – Power The Future Western States Director Larry Behrens released the following statement in response to the proposed merger of PNM and Avangrid:

"New Mexico's largest electric utility will now be a part of an eco-left corporation, with political ties to the Governor, that brags it will put New Mexicans out of work.

New Mexico's families will no doubt be 'thrilled' to know our electric bills will now be determined by an eco-company based thousands of miles away that doesn't seem to care about our energy workers."

Background:

Avangrid is the same company who gave Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham $2,500 last November. The donation came less than a month after the Governor traveled to Spain in October 2019.

In their press release announcing the merger, Avangrid/PNM noted their plan to withdraw from the San Juan Generating Station near Farmington. The closure of the generating station will destroy hundreds of jobs and cause revenue losses for New Mexico communities.

Power The Future first highlighted Avangrid's actions in New Mexico when the company was awarded the contract for a wind farm in May 2020.