Leslie Graham, general manager of Zia Natural Gas Company, presented the utility’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and described Zia’s operations in Doña Ana County, where the company serves approximately 13,800 customers in the county and purchases supply via Kinder Morgan’s El Paso transmission line and from the Martinez Station near Las Cruces.

Graham said the IRP is a planning requirement of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and covers a planning horizon of 4–10 years. The presentation summarized system capacity, three delivery points used in the county (including the Martinez Station and a new delivery point near Picacho Hills Drive under construction), Zia’s load forecast and the company’s view that current capacity is sufficient for likely near‑term growth. The company is continuing a public advisory process and will file the IRP with the PRC.

Graham discussed alternatives under investigation—biogas, dairy‑based gas and hydrogen blending—but said small regional utilities face startup costs, availability and gas‑quality issues that limit immediate application. She described Zia’s energy efficiency programs and rebates (residential and income‑qualified direct install programs via CLEAResult) and noted ongoing coordination with municipal planners on potential large energy users such as data centers.

Commissioners asked technical questions about pipeline pressures and what constitutes a high‑pressure delivery point; Graham and district manager Ron Reynolds described residential service pressures versus higher transmission pressures on main lines and explained that large industrial or data‑center loads require access to high‑pressure transmission lines.

The presentation concluded with an invitation for public input during the IRP’s advisory process and a staff offer to follow up if the commission or public identifies specific projects needing gas service.