SunZia, a massive clean energy project in the US Southwest, has closed $11 billion non-recourse financing and launched full construction.

Daniel Elkort, executive vice president at Pattern Energy, the project’s California-based developer, said about the milestone finance package:

The size and scale of both the SunZia project and this multifaceted financing show that the renewable energy space can secure attractive capital at levels previously only seen in traditional generation.

The largest clean energy project in the US comprises two arms: SunZia Wind and SunZia Transmission. The projects will employ more than 2,000 workers onsite during construction, including heavy equipment operators, electricians, laborers, and others. 

SunZia Wind is the largest wind project in the Western Hemisphere. The 3,500-megawatt (MW) wind farm is being built across New Mexico’s counties of Torrance, Lincoln, and San Miguel.

SunZia Transmission is a 550-mile ± 525 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line between central New Mexico and south-central Arizona. When complete, it will have the capacity to transport 3,000 MW of clean energy.

SunZia Transmission will enable SunZia Wind to supply customers in Arizona and California during early evening hours when demand is high, but available renewable energy supply is low. It’s going to use the same corridor as the Western Spirit Transmission Line:

Wind turbine giant Vestas announced yesterday that it’s secured a firm order from Pattern Energy Group to supply 242 V163-4.5 MW turbines for SunZia Wind.  

The 1.1-gigawatt (GW) order is Vestas’ largest order to date in the US market and its largest single onshore project globally. It’s also the largest order globally for Vestas’ newest high-capacity factor turbine.

Turbine delivery is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025, with final commissioning scheduled for the first half of 2026.

Read more: In Montana, wind is about to overtake coal generation capacity

Photo: Pattern Energy

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