The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued ‘Record of Decision’ for the Borderlands wind project (BLWP).
The project was proposed by Borderlands Wind, a subsidiary of energy company NextEra Energy.
The proposal involves construction, operation, maintenance and eventually decommission of up to 100MW of wind-powered electrical generation facility in western Catron County, New Mexico.
Borderlands wind project consists of ancillary facilities
To be built south of US Highway 60 near the Arizona–New Mexico border on 40,348 acres of land, the project will be equipped with 34 wind turbines with maximum overall height of up to 630 ft.
The project will also comprise ancillary facilities such as access roads, underground collection lines, fiber-optic communication, electrical transmission distribution lines as well as a substation/switchyard to support the wind turbines.
BLM New Mexico state director Tim Spisak said: “This project will help New Mexico sustainably develop our energy and natural resources.
“This renewable energy wind project on BLM-managed lands will increase income, employment, and revenue in Catron County.”
BLM issued the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the project on 11 March this year.
The FEIS was issued after analysing the potential effects of the project including the cultural, biological, socioeconomical, environmental, and visual.
Recently, BLM has approved the Moneta Divide oil and gas project in Wyoming that was proposed by Aethon Energy Management and Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Company.
The approval will enable the company to drill up to 4,250 oil and gas wells across a 327,645-acre area of public, state and private lands.
