Trammell Crow to build $7 billion power plant near Los Lunas

Residents near Los Lunas, New Mexico, faced a new decision regarding their local energy supply this week. A proposed $7 billion power plant stands to rise on a large property located about six miles west of Interstate 25. The site is already zoned for energy-generating facilities, which allows the developers to proceed without seeking immediate permission from local leaders.

The project is led by the Trammell Crow Company. At a community meeting, attendees expressed confusion over the plant’s intended purpose. Many residents suspected the massive infrastructure would ultimately support a future data center rather than serve the local grid.

Kathy McCord, an advocate with Valencia Water Watcher, pointed to the scale of the construction as a clue to its end use. “They’re saying no, they don’t have a client, but you know, you look at the size of what they’re trying to build and it’s like, that’s a power plant for a data center. You know, it’s pretty obvious,” McCord said.

McCord also raised concerns about where the generated electricity would go. She noted that the power was not planned for the surrounding community. “Well, the electricity they’re planning on generating is not for the community. It is for whoever these mysterious clients are who also want to build out there,” she said.

Water usage became another focal point for critics. McCord compared the project’s potential water strategy to methods used by Facebook. She described a plan where the company would use local water but then seek reimbursement or offsets from other water users. “The water thing is they’re trying to do the same kind of thing that Facebook did, which is, well, yeah, we’re using this much water, but we’re gonna go somewhere else. We’re gonna find somebody who’s using water,” McCord said.

Village officials stated that they are still gathering information about the proposal. Nancy Jo Gonzales explained that the company has not asked for approvals or incentives at this stage because the zoning rules already permit the facility. “Really, they have not come to the village for any approvals. They don’t need to at this point, and at this point they haven’t asked for any incentives, which also would go before mayor and council,” Gonzales said.

Katherine Gauer, a village official, expressed a desire for greater transparency in the process. She said the community wants to be involved in the negotiation phase. “I just hope to see more transparency. We’ve learned from other projects throughout the state. The community just wants to be involved and again, be on the fair end of that bargaining spectrum,” Gauer said. The developer declined to speak on camera but confirmed that an air quality permit application is the next major step. The New Mexico Environment Department will review that application.