GRADY MARTIN WIND PROJECT PROFILE
Apex Clean Energy will be actively meeting with landowners, community leaders, and the public to share information about Grady Martin Wind as the project progresses. We are excited to be a part of your community.
Many of the details about the proposed Grady Martin project are yet to be determined. For example, it's far too early to tell which turbines we will use, exactly how many there will be, or where these turbines will be located. However, as we continue to develop this project, more of these details will be determined, and we will share project updates with you here on this site.
PROJECT SUMMARY
- Planned to encompass approximately 37,000 acres of open farmland in Curry and Quay Counties
- Capable of producing 297.5 MW of clean, homegrown energy, enough to power 111,000 U.S. homes each year
- Expected to consist of approximately 74 to 135 wind turbines, spaced approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart on active farmland
- Each wind turbine, including the access road, typically requires less than half an acre of land
- Farmers would continue farming their land with very limited disturbance
- Will represent a significant investment in local economy with revenues for farmers, local government, and schools
- Will create up to 362 full-time-equivalent jobs during construction
- Will create up to 46 permanent jobs for the state of New Mexico
WHY CURRY AND QUAY COUNTIES?
If built, Grady Martin will have a capacity of 297.5 MW, producing enough energy to power 109,000 homes every year. Representing a private investment in excess of $350 million, Grady Martin will benefit the economies of Curry and Quay Counties in the near term with construction jobs and local purchasing of materials and services. In the long term, the project promises to bring sustained tax revenue to the county for the local government as well as 30 years of local purchasing, employment, and investment.
Curry and Quay Counties were selected by Apex Clean Energy after a thorough examination of many candidate sites within New Mexico for the following reasons:
- Verified wind resource
- Expansive commercial farmland
- Existing network of state highways
- Avoids sensitive military and environmental areas
- Strong local landowner and community support
Farmers who host turbines on their property and other participating landowners will also receive annual lease payments. These payments will continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economies of Curry and Quay Counties to support local merchants, contractors, and equipment suppliers.
WIND ENERGY FOR RURAL AMERICA
The cost of wind energy has dropped more than 50% over the past five years, providing a cost-competitive source for clean electricity across the nation. Now, a new study confirms wind energy is at the point where it's cheaper than coal, even without subsidies.* Wind powers the equivalent of 18 million American homes each year.** Wind energy comes with many benefits, including reduced pollution, increased domestic employment, consumer cost savings, water conservation, nationwide availability, and increased community revenues.*** Wind turbines compliment working farms, because they allow for existing agricultural operations to continue around them. They also help farmers by diversifying the rural economy and providing a consistent, drought-resistant new harvest.
POTENTIAL TIMELINE
There are many steps in the process to completion of Grady Martin. This means construction could begin as early as 2022 or 2023. Apex will be working closely with Curry and Quay Counties on the project planning and permitting, offering additional opportunities for the public to provide input into the process.
*Minnesota Public Radio, Study: Renewable energy now Minnesota's 2nd-largest electricity source, March 2018
**AWEA, Wind Energy Facts at a Glance, March 2015
***Department of Energy, Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States, 2015