Utility asks court to overturn rejection of power plant plan

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest electric provider is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a decision by regulators and let the utility proceed with a plan to transfer its shares in a coal-fired power plant to a Navajo energy company. A filing Friday by Public Service Co. of New Mexico suggested that the Public Regulation Commission acted “arbitrarily, capriciously and contrary to law” and misinterpreted a 2019 law that encourages PNM to replace coal-fired plants with renewable forms of energy. The commission in December rejected PNM’s proposal, saying the company didn’t explain how it would replace power now provided by the Four Corners Power Plant.