SunZia wind and transmission megaproject finally delivers power across the Southwest

SunZia, the continent's biggest clean-energy megaproject, finally went live in June, delivering wind-generated electricity from central New Mexico to customers in Arizona and California via a 550-mile high-voltage line. The venture, featuring more than 900 turbines each as tall as the Statue of Liberty, had been stalled for 17 years by state-level permitting disputes, a standoff with the White Sands Missile Range and a lack of market demand.

A 2022 permit revision, $11 billion of financing and a partnership with the National Audubon Society helped clear the path, while the project now averts about 9 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year. Critics, including the Tohono O’odham Nation and San Carlos Apache Tribe, continue to pursue lawsuits over the Arizona segment that crosses sacred valleys. The project's success is being touted as a model for future renewable megaprojects and for reforms to streamline interstate transmission approvals.