Borderlands

Wind | Western New Mexico

The Borderlands Wind Project, located in New Mexico about 25 miles east of Springerville, includes 34 turbines that produce a combined 99 megawatts (MW).

Over the course of a year, the wind farm generates enough power to serve the annual electric needs of more than 26,000 homes.

Located on about 40,300 acres a few miles east of the state border, Borderlands’ highly efficient turbines manufactured by General Electric. From base to blade tip, most turbines stand about 670 tall.

The wind farm’s output is delivered to Tucson through existing transmission lines that connect to TEP’s transmission system in eastern Arizona. TEP will purchase the output of Borderlands from an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources, its owner and operator.

Borderlands supports TEP’s plan to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2035. These changes, outlined in TEP’s 2020 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.

TEP has more than 600 MW of large-scale wind and solar resources. Borderlands was the third large system the company brought online in 2021, including the 250-MW Oso Grande Wind Project and the Wilmot Energy Center, which includes a 100-MW solar array and a 30-MW battery energy storage system.