Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A.
There are four interconnection review paths:
(1)
Simplified process: For
certified inverter-based generating facilities that have a nameplate rating
that does not exceed 50 kilowatts (kW) and an export capacity that does not
exceed 25 kilowatts (kW).
(2)
Fast track process: For generating facilities that have a
nameplate rating of up to 5 megawatts (MW), depending on the line capacity and
distance from the substation. To qualify for fast track, the generating
facility's export capacity shall not exceed the limits identified in the table
below, which vary according to the voltage of the line at the proposed point of
interconnection. Generating facilities located within 2.5 miles of a substation
and on a main distribution line with minimum 600-amp capacity are eligible for
the fast track process under higher thresholds. For purposes of the table
below, a mainline is the three-phase backbone of a circuit. It will typically
constitute lines with wire sizes of 4/0 American wire gauge, 336.4 kcmil, 397.5
kcmil, 477 kcmil and 795 kcmil.
|
Line Voltage |
Export Capacity for Fast Track
Eligibility |
|
Regardless of location
|
On > 600 amp line and < 2.5 miles from
substation |
|
5 kV |
< 500 kW |
< 500 kW |
|
5 kV - 14 kV |
< 2 MW |
< 3 MW |
|
15 kV - 30 kV |
< 3 MW |
< 4 MW |
|
31 kV - 69 kV |
< 4 MW |
< 5 MW |
(3)
Detailed study process: For all generating facilities with a rated
capacity 10 megawatts (MW) or less that do not qualify, or pass through, the
simplified or fast track processes or subsequent supplemental review.
(4)
Case specific review
process: Generating facilities with a rated capacity greater than 10
megawatts (MW) shall be reviewed pursuant to 17.9.569 NMAC.
B.
Application
submittal: The interconnection applicant shall submit an interconnection
application (see Appendices 1A, 1B or 1C, as appropriate) to the utility,
together with the applicable processing fee identified in
17.9.568.23 NMAC. The application
shall be date and time-stamped upon receipt for the purposes of any timetable
in these procedures
C.
Completeness review: Utility shall notify the interconnection
applicant, via email or other means, that the interconnection application has
been received within three business days of receipt of the interconnection
application. Within 10 business days of receipt, the utility shall notify the
applicant whether the interconnection application is deemed complete and valid.
If the application is incomplete, the utility shall provide the applicant with
a list of all information that the applicant must provide to complete the
application. The applicant must provide the requested information within 10
business days, or the application will be deemed withdrawn.
D.
Interconnection queue position and
posting: The utility shall assign the interconnection application a
queue position based on when it is received under Subsection C of
17.9.568.13 NMAC.
(1) The utility shall maintain a single
queue, which may be sortable by geographic region (e.g., feeder or
substation).
(2) The queue position
of each interconnection application will be used to determine the cost
responsibility for the upgrades necessary to accommodate the
interconnection.
(3) The queue
shall be publicly available on the utility's website and shall be updated at
least monthly.
(4) If an
application fails the screening process under the simplified or fast track
process, but the applicant decides to continue with review (including
Supplemental review) under another level, the applicant shall retain its
original queue position.
(5) If an
interconnection application fails the screening process under the simplified or
fast track process, but the applicant decides to continue with review
(including supplemental review) under another level, the applicant shall retain
its original queue position.
E.
Modifications to generating
facility:
(1) At any time after an
interconnection application is deemed complete or an interconnection agreement
has been signed, if the applicant wishes to make modifications to the planned
generating facility it shall submit to the utility, in writing, all proposed
modifications to any information provided in the interconnection application or
in the interconnection agreement. Any modification to machine data, equipment
configuration, or to the interconnection site of the generating facility not
agreed to in writing by the utility and the interconnection customer may be
deemed a withdrawal of the interconnection application.
(2) Within 10 business days of receipt of a
proposed modification, the utility shall notify the applicant whether a
proposed modification to either an interconnection application or an existing
generating facility constitutes a material modification.
(a) If the utility determines the proposed
modification is a material modification, then the utility shall notify the
interconnection customer in writing that the customer may:
(i) withdraw the proposed modification;
or
(ii) proceed with a new
interconnection application for such modification. The interconnection customer
shall provide its determination in writing to the utility within 10 business
days after being provided the material modification determination results. If
the interconnection customer does not provide its determination, the proposed
modification shall be deemed withdrawn.
(b) If the proposed modification is
determined not to be a material modification, then the utility shall notify the
interconnection customer in writing that the modification has been accepted and
that the customer shall retain its eligibility for interconnection, including
its place in the interconnection queue. Existing generating facilities may make
the modification without requiring a new interconnection application.
(3) Any dispute as to the
utility's determination that a modification constitutes a material modification
shall proceed in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions in
17.9.568.26 NMAC.
(4) Any modification to machine data,
equipment configuration, or to the interconnection site of the generating
facility not agreed to in writing by the utility and the interconnection
customer may be deemed a withdrawal of the interconnection application and may
require submission of a new interconnection application, unless proper
notifications of each party by the other as described in Paragraphs (1) and (2)
of Subsection E of
17.9.568.13
NMAC.
F.
Site
Control: Documentation of site control must be submitted with the
interconnection request. Site control may be demonstrated by:
(1) ownership of, or a leasehold interest in,
or a right to develop a site for the purpose of constructing a generating
facility;
(2) a fully executed
option to purchase or acquire a leasehold site for such purpose; or
(3) a fully executed agreement demonstrating
exclusivity or other business relationship between the interconnection
applicant and the entity having the authority to grant the applicant the right
to possess or occupy a site for such purpose.
