The majority of New Mexico’s tribe, nation and pueblo land could be ripe for exploring geothermal energy, an energy expert told a panel of state lawmakers Monday.
Rebecca “Puck” Stair, the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Energy Conservation and Management Division director, spoke before the interim Indian Affairs Committee in Shiprock about the potential for the state’s Indigenous populations to harness the heat beneath the ground as a form of energy.
The state’s largest electric provider, PNM, has already tapped into a southern New Mexico geothermal plant that uses the heat beneath the earth’s crust to create steam, turn turbines and generate electricity.
Stair’s presentation to the committee focused on the advantages of geothermal energy — such as its renewable nature and its relatively low water demand — and said tribal leaders could consider investing in the technology not just to generate electricity, but potentially to sell excess energy or to strengthen New Mexico’s outdated power grid.
Read More