Oso Grande

Wind  |  Southeast New Mexico

The Oso Grande Wind farm in southeast New Mexico is our largest renewable resource producing clean energy for Southern Arizona.

The 250-megawatt (MW) site is expected to generate enough power each year to serve the annual electric needs of nearly 100,000 homes. This single system doubled our large-scale renewable energy resources in 2021, representing a big step toward the cleaner, greener grid we’re building for our community.

Oso Grande supports TEP’s plan to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2035. These changes, outlined in TEP’s 2023 Integrated Resource Plan, will avoid the production of more than 50 million tons of carbon dioxide over 15 years – equivalent to taking three-quarters of a million cars off the road.

Oso Grande is one of three large wind and solar projects TEP will complete in 2021. The Wilmot Energy Center includes a 100-MW solar array and a 30-MW battery energy storage system on 1,130 acres south of Tucson International Airport. The 99-MW Borderlands Wind Project, located about 100 miles south of Gallup, New Mexico, is expected to be in service by the end of 2021.

A portion of the clean energy produced by Oso Grande and the Wilmot Energy Center will power the University of Arizona’s Tucson campus, making it the largest research university in the country to offset all of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its purchased energy.

Located on 24,000 acres of barren, wind-swept desert, Oso Grande includes 62 turbines, including some that reach more than 600 feet from base to blade tip. The site was chosen for its strong wind, particularly during the morning, evening and overnight when solar arrays produce little or no power.

EDF Renewables North America developed the system for TEP through a build and transfer agreement.