[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6453930,"mediaKeyId","5873849-77b2654350dc299193767054edf60a04","parentId",5873849,"title","Utilities board reviews Foxtail Flats schedule, market risks and options to avoid solar curtailment","audioSeconds",4651,"startMs",405000,"endMs",5056000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5873849-77b2654350dc299193767054edf60a04&start=405&end=5056","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5873849-77b2654350dc299193767054edf60a04/thumbnail_405000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6453930/Los-Alamos-County/New-Mexico/Utilities-board-reviews-Foxtail-Flats-schedule-market-risks-and-options-to-avoid-solar-curtailment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6453930-85c9069da98684210f8435a8c9d5fbf7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773642920&Signature=e4eE8FEnvL5d4322q8WDNK8jvLT~4FVPuKMnvijOl322t~JJ80~zhdVfgYJIUlUZ3A2ZS3wtDwUhtY7UR6EdNnQI4Pvucv8vK7auVgOtfGAsspwUmi~cYu3bRjnAQWm~OKz2ChG976mg~qFUGauCgjGKgUp6Wi3bCiDZh37QPQIjwEzmzuwbdhqeeE19uZEoFp9-hDQDxrnEZu7S2deaIJ8G9uoJnpvSgralOJcilNtVki73jYijlmRvfnqYT4p~FeyQSzqx58AyFRy8HeBeGNaCFsbh2rGKhkv78e5Cjt83ZzViZlzPYHgQSfEvVhphMHzADQLgwYvlX3GXWZCTrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Los Alamos County","date","2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","article","Los Alamos County utility staff told the Utilities Board on Oct. 1 that the Foxtail Flats solar-and-storage project is ready to move forward after a delayed land lease but that new market rules, uncertain tax credits and fluctuating local loads create a measurable risk of having to curtail daytime solar generation.

Ben Ulbrich, deputy utility manager for Power Supply, briefed the board on the county’s integrated resource plan (IRP) follow-up and focused on the county’s choices for handling an estimated 170 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) capacity that will exceed the county’s direct daytime needs once Foxtail Flats is fully online.

Ulbrich said the project’s land lease was completed in August after an appeal period, which delayed developer mobilization and shifted commissioning dates. He said the developer now targets roughly Jan. 1, 2027, for an initial phase at about half capacity and full plant capacity within a few months after that; the project's earlier milestone was March 1, 2026.

Why it matters: With larger daytime solar output and limited local daytime demand, the county expects seasonal and hourly excess energy. If that power cannot be sold into markets or to local customers, Ulbrich said the county could face a “curtailment” cost in the neighborhood of $70 per megawatt-hour for generation it cannot accept — a figure that combines an energy cost estimate and the estimated foregone production tax credits.

Board members pressed staff on where the county could sell excess power and on reliability implications of shifting firm energy to Foxtail Flats. Ulbrich reviewed seven preferred responses, roughly prioritized by staff: 1) sell 10 MW of Laramie River Station (LRS) daytime output when solar is abundant, 2) arrange one- to five-year term sales to take excess PV off the county’s books, 3) increase day sales to Sandia National Laboratories/Kirtland Air Force Base beyond a notional 30 MW share, 4) enable automatic market dispatch for the county’s combustion gas turbine generator (CGTG) so it can bid into new markets, 5) sell into the extended day-ahead market (EDAM) or other third-party channels, 6) add more battery storage, and 7) curtail PV only as a last resort.

On markets and tariffs, Ulbrich said PNM will join CAISO’s EDAM (extended day-ahead market) around October 2027 and the county will participate as a transmission customer through PNM; the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) expansion of the Laramie River Station area is a separate regional change. Both moves mean the county will have to fit into new day-ahead and regional market scheduling paradigms, Ulbrich said, and that PNM’s approach will determine how the county interacts with EDAM in practice.

Ulbrich also described load forecasting uncertainty tied to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) operations. He noted LANL’s linear accelerator and new computing facilities have repeatedly underperformed earlier load forecasts and that slower-than-expected electrification also reduces county daytime demand projections. Those variables make it harder to predict how much excess solar the county will have at different horizons.

Board member questions and staff direction: Board members asked for a simpler briefing on EDAM and how the new markets will affect county operations; Chair Gibson and staff agreed to schedule an educational briefing for the board. Ulbrich said staff is gathering indicative pricing offers for short-term purchases to cover the interval between the original Foxtail Flats start date and the developer’s revised schedule. He also said staff may bring a financial-gap analysis to the board later this year.

On storage economics, Ulbrich presented modeling that showed adding 20 MW/80 MWh of extra battery capacity could reduce curtailment risk but would not pay for itself under current price assumptions. Using a notional battery lease cost of $12.50 per kilowatt-month (about $3 million per year), his analysis produced a benefit/cost ratio of about 0.5 — meaning the modeled cost exceeded the modeled avoided-curtailment benefit.

The board discussed operational reliability if more load is served from Foxtail Flats rather than from dispatchable plants. Ulbrich said EDAM and the energy imbalance market (EIM) give tools to handle day-to-day deviations and that operators will retain options to keep assets like LRS available when weather or outages reduce solar output.

Hydro and tax-credit risks: Ulbrich also warned that uncertainty about tax credits and tariffs can affect the economics of Foxtail Flats and that the developer’s choice of production tax credits versus the investment tax credit may be material. He recapped that county hydropower (Abiquiu and El Vado) has variable generation and that El Vado repair work reduced hydro output and raised per-MWh costs in recent years.

The board did not take a vote on new policy in the presentation. The meeting earlier approved the evening’s agenda by a motion that passed 5–0. Ulbrich said staff will return with more detailed financial analysis and that the board will receive an EDAM tutorial to inform later decisions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Los Alamos County - Board of Public Utilities Work Session on 2025-10-01 5:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","County utility staff told the board that Foxtail Flats’ delays and changing market rules create risks that the county must manage by selling excess daytime solar, optimizing gas units, or adding storage; staff recommended short-term power sales and other mitigation options while a new integrated resource plan is prepared.","taxTitle","Los Alamos County, New Mexico","taxId",83667,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6453925,"County updates board on gas system work, Elk Ridge connections and DP Road repairs",2389,5641000,8030000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5873849-77b2654350dc299193767054edf60a04&start=5641&end=8030","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5873849-77b2654350dc299193767054edf60a04/thumbnail_5641000.jpg","/articles/6453925/Los-Alamos-County/New-Mexico/County-updates-board-on-gas-system-work-Elk-Ridge-connections-and-DP-Road-repairs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6453925-eed8af17acde656ab2916b5296160c16/orig.mp4?Expires=1773642920&Signature=SqYjJSOvR6~ZlHogl1yp54cWg9WioDgBorhJKN4HWKdmscbF23tW0LIoE4BuqKq9t6a5DQEY~canNUgyART~9c43oPlDh0adhU7kpWCQ~r-hE4P41mam1suDJl7FJc~zy4wQd3dbKyW54B6i0YLzgDlU1qbHTJfkzspMNKJNcgl5y1cbD5Pp3EVYj-OSqOEBt0CVtrNv-G7J7Jh2kKrHmjM7262IjOYh7a9mdtqG6rViy-ZXB~LjhxCFalxNOlpY0R~OTh6IZ5baSfkU1rC3N27RtUUvx6pEosCOhOBzlDvtNmCHe2fPlH56rRka3vASx3wsRNViY7DQbbwLkItxCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Los Alamos County staff gave the Utilities Board an annual update on the county gas distribution system on Oct. 1, reporting recent capital work, compliance activity and progress on the Elk Ridge third-party connection project.

Clay (last name redacted in the transcript), the county’s gas system lead, told the board the county operates separate gas systems for the town site and White Rock: the town-site trunk runs at about 100 psi for major mains (approximately 15 miles) with the remainder of distribution at 20 psi (about 97 miles), while White Rock’s system is a 60-psi design with about 26 miles of piping.

Major projects and repairs: Staff reviewed three recent local projects. A comprehensive replacement and standardization of vintage lines along DP Road removed a tangled mix of old pipes and reduced operational complexity. A separate, unplanned Court Street replacement followed discovery of a deep, isolated steel line that had been patched in prior decades; staff said the isolated steel had no documented cathodic protection and required a full replacement. The third project, Elk Ridge, is a multi-stage third-party development where county crews are installing mains and will later bring meter manifolds and meter sets online for more than 80 residences.

Safety, compliance and operations: Staff said the department has dedicated a gas crew and supervisor to ensure regular, required activities — pipeline patrol, leak surveys, cathodic-protection monitoring and recordkeeping — are maintained under the state Public Regulation Commission (PRC) rules. Staff reported about 10 leaks repaired in the period and more gas-locate activity during the DP Road work. Records for the system have been consolidated into GIS and Energy World Net to improve institutional memory.

Elk Ridge hookups and inspections: County staff described coordination challenges at Elk Ridge as contractors move from mains to individual home connections. Because some existing home piping and appliances are not code‑compliant, the state-inspected pressure tests required before connections may reveal plumbing or appliance defects that residents must fix. Cartwright Plumbing and state inspectors will observe the required pressure tests; the state’s inspection capacity and scheduling were cited as constraints that could push the final connection work into next spring. Staff said the county will take ownership of the new mains and meter installations after the project is completed and will operate the system going forward.

Resident concerns raised at the meeting: During public comment a resident of Elk Ridge said a planned riser for a double-meter manifold would sit close to parking and pedestrian areas at Unit 310 and asked the county to move the riser to a less exposed location. The resident also said a rumor had emerged that homeowners will face an $800–$1,000 fee for each hook-up; staff did not confirm a mandatory homeowner charge during the meeting and said permit, inspection and plumber arrangements are being coordinated with the developer and prime contractor.

Asset condition and cost control: Staff reviewed hydrocarbon-era legacy issues and said record consolidation and regular inspection programs have substantially reduced unknowns. They noted a small number of remaining undocumented steel service sections that occasionally require targeted excavation and replacement. Cathodic protection work and meter replacements are ongoing. Staff said the DP Road cleanup upsized capacity to support planned development on the south side of the corridor.

Next steps and timing: Staff expects to continue monthly inspections and leak surveys; if the Elk Ridge project must pause for winter weather, crews will preserve existing service for customers and schedule pressure-testing and meter conversion when the state inspection capacity is available. The department will provide ongoing inspection reports and project updates ahead of the next budget cycle to incorporate any cost- or staffing changes.

No formal decisions were made by the board during the presentation; the meeting moved from the gas update to the board’s annual self‑evaluation process.","Staff reported progress on infrastructure and safety tasks, described the Elk Ridge third‑party hookup schedule, and warned that some Elk Ridge residents may face appliance upgrades and inspection costs before connections can be completed; staff said the town will assume operation and ongoing maintenance of the new Elk Ridge mains.","actionData","errors"]

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Utilities board reviews Foxtail Flats schedule, market risks and options to avoid solar curtailment

County updates board on gas system work, Elk Ridge connections and DP Road repairs