PNM gets support to drop plant plan

A hearing examiner on Thursday recommended the state’s largest electric utility be allowed to withdraw its application to build a $100 million natural-gas plant and pipeline in San Juan County. The plant was part of Public Service Company of New Mexico’s plan to replace energy lost from the closure of part of the coal-powered San Juan Generating Station, but PNM told regulators lowerthan-expected energy demand projections showed the plant was no longer needed.

The hearing examiner recommended discovery remain open in what she called an “unusual” case, and intervening party New Energy Economy said it would move forward with determining how the plant would have affected customers in PNM’s upcoming rate case.