New Mexico regulators approve plan to replace nuclear power

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico regulators have approved a plan that calls for new solar generation to replace what will be lost when Public Service Co. of New Mexico stops buying electricity from the Palo Verde nuclear plant in Arizona. The utility will lose 114 megawatts after its two Palo Verde leases expire — one in 2023 and the other in 2024. The Public Regulation Commission made its decision Wednesday, but the utility said it came too late. That means some of the contracts to build the solar facilities will have to be renegotiated with independent energy developers, delaying the projects even more.