Governor’s energy council publishes plan to protect ratepayers

SANTA FE - Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's energy affordability council has delivered 22 recommendations to protect New Mexico electricity customers and strengthen the grid as power demand grows.

The 13-member Energy Affordability and Grid Reliability Council's recommendations include statewide ratepayer protections and a rate framework for large electricity users, so New Mexico's households and businesses don't get stuck with the bill as large new electricity users connect to the grid. The plan calls for wider use of technologies that boost capacity of existing transmission lines, in addition to building new lines. Another recommendation would create incentives for large users to scale back electricity use when the grid is strained.

"The future of energy is already here, and once again New Mexico is ready to lead," said Gov. Lujan Grisham. "These recommendations give us a path to protect ratepayers, bring more power onto the grid and keep our energy clean, all at the same time."

The governor convened leaders from electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives, along with consumer and ratepayer advocates, to serve on the council. Members also included experts in renewable energy transmission, grid infrastructure and Tribal energy experts, as well as state agency, regulatory and legislative representatives. The council weighed affordability, reliability, economic development and environmental sustainability.

"Families and small businesses need electricity they can afford and depend on," said Rep. Meredith Dixon, D-Albuquerque, and a member of the governor's energy council. "These recommendations give legislators a practical starting point for protecting customers while supporting responsible growth."

The 22 recommendations fall into three categories:

• Consumer protection through bill assistance, support for energy-efficient housing and shielding existing customers from higher costs as large electricity users connect to the grid
• Protecting reliability and managing large loads, including making better use of the existing grid, expanding transmission and storage, integrating renewable energy and supporting new investment.

Expediting building projects by coordinating permitting and prioritizing projects that benefit New Mexico. "Members brought different perspectives and worked through difficult tradeoffs together," said council Chair Lynn Mostoller, executive director of the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority. "Their willingness to share expertise, question assumptions and listen to one another made this report stronger." "Meeting growing demand requires careful planning and prudent investment," said council Vice Chair Don Tarry, president and CEO of TXNM Energy, PNM's parent company. "This report identifies opportunities to strengthen reliability, use existing infrastructure more effectively and keep customer costs central to decisions." The report notes where members strongly agreed on recommendations and where they disagreed. It also calls for more technical, economic and environmental study on some recommendations as lawmakers and regulators decide how to put them into practice. The governor created the council on April 22, 2026, and directed it to deliver recommendations by Nov. 1, 2026. Its findings are expected to inform the 2027 legislative session, which begins in January. The full report is available here.