This month, representatives from Peninsula Clean Energy joined fellow Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) for a tour of the SunZia Wind and HVDC Transmission Project—the largest clean energy infrastructure project in the Western Hemisphere. With 3,500 megawatts of wind generation and 550 miles of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission, SunZia represents a breakthrough in how renewable energy is produced and delivered across the West.
A shared commitment to innovation
Peninsula Clean Energy is one of the twelve offtakers powering this landmark project—eight of which are CCAs. Together, these community-led organizations are helping to advance clean energy development at a scale once thought impossible. Our participation reflects a deep commitment not just to procuring renewable power, but to driving innovation and reliability in the energy sector.
Scale & significance
The SunZia project is record-breaking on nearly every level:
- 3,500 MW of wind capacity — the largest in the Western Hemisphere
- 550 miles of HVDC transmission — linking New Mexico’s wind resources to markets in Arizona and California
- $11 billion in financing — the largest clean energy financing deal in North America
The technology story
Touring SunZia’s HVDC project, the technology in the AC switchyard is strikingly futuristic yet tangible—rows of switching equipment, complex valve assemblies, and advanced control systems that convert and stabilize massive amounts of power. It’s a reminder that clean energy infrastructure isn’t abstract: it’s highly engineered, physical, and awe-inspiring in scale and precision.
The system’s “smart toaster” (AC chopper) provides real-time grid reliability and is the first of its kind in the U.S., a signal of how projects like SunZia are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in transmission design.
Delivering on a vision
Planning something like SunZia is hard—nearly 20 years from concept to construction. Every phase required persistence and coordination across states, agencies, and communities.
Construction is hard, too. The real world always intervenes: weather, machinery breakdowns, to soil conditions that ignore the expectations set by a geotech report. Yet through it all, the teams demonstrated exceptional safety discipline, logistical prowess, and methodical care—the kind of approach required for power plants that must operate reliably for decades to come.
The human story
Beyond the hardware, the project’s strength lies in the people who built it. Teams were committed to community respect, landowner collaboration, and local giving. Workers brought extraordinary backgrounds—from a nuclear submarine engineer who shifted into HVDC construction to a father and son duo contributing to the wind and transmission sides of the project. The steel towers manufactured in New Mexico represent not just engineering achievement but regional pride and skilled craftsmanship. And the AC switchyard named after a legislator’s grandfather, a lineman, honors the generations who powered America’s early grids.
This care, craftsmanship, and respect define the human dimension of SunZia—one that mirrors Peninsula Clean Energy’s own mission.
A shared clean energy future
SunZia demonstrates what’s possible when CCAs, developers, and communities come together with persistence and purpose. It’s a reminder that the transition to clean energy isn’t just about technology—it’s about people, places, and long-term commitment.
