The Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC) is a finalist for a $95.6 million funding award from the New ERA Program through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
The funding is for the KCEC Questa Green Hydrogen Project, an innovative clean energy project benefiting the entire KCEC service territory in northern New Mexico while repurposing reclaimed water from a closed mine, according to a news release.
The funding announcement is in addition to a $500,000 award KCEC received from the United States Department of Energy earlier this year to fund planning and safety studies for the proposed green hydrogen project.
The Project will create the production, infrastructure, and adoption of clean hydrogen in targeted communities of New Mexico, specifically in Taos County (the Village of Questa and Town of Taos), and two federally recognized Tribes of Native American Pueblo People – Picuris Pueblo and Taos Pueblo. As part of the planned project, each of these communities will have custom green hydrogen facilities and corresponding renewable energy generation technology within their borders. Once complete, the KCEC Questa Green Hydrogen Project will signify a leap forward in actualizing green hydrogen generation.
The project includes utilizing solar generation to power facilities, co-siting facilities alongside closed mine Superfund wastewater treatment plants, and creating long-duration (up to 16 hours) energy storage technology. The project will also stimulate jobs and new economic impact for the Village of Questa, NM. Once completed, the project will transform KCEC’s energy infrastructure and exponentially increase system resiliency. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) led and conducted the feasibility study of the green hydrogen project in conjunction with KCEC.
