Tres Amigas hires engineers

Freedom New Mexico

POWER Engineers, of Hailey, Idaho, has been awarded an engineering contract for Tres Amigas, a planned Curry County energy hub.

POWER will provide support for the project, design services and manage the engineering activities for the Tres Amigas Superstation, according to a press release.

According to the release, “Tres Amigas, LLC selected POWER Engineers because of its extensive capabilities, depth and experience in EHV and FACTS projects. POWER is currently involved with several HVDC projects under development in the United States.”

Announced in October 2009, officials have said the project will be placed on public trust land — located northeast of Clovis, south of Curry Road 19 and west of N.M. 108 — and will create the nation’s first renewable energy trading hub using the latest power grid technologies, including DC superconductor power cables, HVDC voltage source converters and energy storage systems.

The power station is expected to bring almost 14,000 jobs and $2.6 billion to the community over a six-year construction phase. Tres Amigas also says the completed project will provide a long-term benefit of 1,400 jobs and $130 million annually to local economies.