TXNM Energy, Inc. (‘TXNM’) operates as an investor-owned holding company with two regulated utilities providing electricity and electric services in New Mexico and Texas.
The company is a holding company with two regulated electric utilities, Public Service Company of New Mexico (‘PNM’) and Texas-New Mexico Power Company (‘TNMP’), serving approximately 834,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in New Mexico and Texas.
PNM and TNMP strive to balance service affordability with in...
TXNM Energy, Inc. (‘TXNM’) operates as an investor-owned holding company with two regulated utilities providing electricity and electric services in New Mexico and Texas.
The company is a holding company with two regulated electric utilities, Public Service Company of New Mexico (‘PNM’) and Texas-New Mexico Power Company (‘TNMP’), serving approximately 834,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in New Mexico and Texas.
PNM and TNMP strive to balance service affordability with infrastructure investment to maintain a high level of electric reliability, and to deliver a safe and superior customer experience. Both PNM and TNMP seek cost recovery for their investments through general rate cases, periodic cost of service filings, and various rate riders.
Regulated Operations
TNMP
TNMP is a regulated utility operating and incorporated in the State of Texas. TNMP provides transmission and distribution services in Texas under the provisions of TECA (Texas Electric Choice Act) and the Texas Public Utility Regulatory Act. TNMP is subject to traditional cost-of-service regulation with respect to rates and service under the jurisdiction of the PUCT (Public Utility Commission of Texas) and certain municipalities. TNMP’s transmission and distribution activities are solely within ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), which is the independent system operator responsible for maintaining reliable operations for the bulk electric power supply system in most of Texas. Therefore, TNMP is not subject to traditional rate regulation by FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). TNMP serves a market of small to medium-sized communities, most of which have populations of less than 50,000. TNMP is the exclusive provider of transmission and distribution services in most areas it serves.
TNMP’s service territory consists of three non-contiguous areas. One portion of this territory extends from Lewisville, which is approximately 10 miles north of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, eastward to municipalities near the Red River, and to communities north, west, and south of Fort Worth. The second portion of its service territory includes the area along the Texas Gulf Coast between Houston and Galveston, and the third portion includes areas of far west Texas between Midland and El Paso. TNMP owns 1,022 miles of electric transmission lines that interconnect with other utilities in Texas. There has been a significant increase in interconnection requests and data center applications on the TNMP system, which has necessitated new transmission stations, upgrades at existing stations, and transmission line capacity upgrades.
TNMP provides transmission and distribution services at regulated rates to various REPs (Retail Electricity Providers) that, in turn, provide retail electric service to consumers within TNMP’s service area.
TNMP holds long-term, non-exclusive franchise agreements for its electric transmission and distribution services. These agreements have varying expiration dates, and some have expired. TNMP intends to negotiate and execute new or amended franchise agreements with municipalities where the agreements have expired or will be expiring. Since TNMP is the exclusive provider of transmission and distribution services in most areas that it serves, the need to renew or renegotiate franchise agreements should not have a material adverse impact. TNMP also earns revenues from services provided to facilities in its service area that lie outside the territorial jurisdiction of the municipalities with which TNMP has franchise agreements.
PNM
PNM is an electric utility that provides electric generation, transmission, and distribution service to its rate-regulated customers. PNM’s retail electric service territory covers a large area of north-central New Mexico, including the cities of Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe, and certain areas of southern New Mexico, as well as 9 sovereign nations. Service to retail electric customers is subject to the jurisdiction of the NMPRC (New Mexico Public Regulation Commission). The largest retail electric customer served by PNM accounted for 4.2% of its retail electric revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024. Other services provided by PNM include wholesale transmission services to third parties. Regulation encompasses the utility’s electric rates, service, accounting, issuances of securities, construction of major new generation, abandonment of existing generation, types of generation resources, transmission and distribution facilities, and other matters.
PNM holds long-term, non-exclusive franchise agreements for its electric retail operations, with varying expiration dates. These franchise agreements allow the utility to access public rights-of-way for placement of its electric facilities. To the extent franchise agreements expire in some areas PNM serves, PNM remains obligated under New Mexico state law to provide service to customers in these areas, and therefore, the expirations should not have a material adverse impact.
PNM owns 3,444 miles of electric transmission lines that interconnect with other utilities in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Utah. New Mexico is frequently characterized by its high potential for solar and wind capacity. PNM owns transmission capacity in an area of eastern New Mexico with large wind generation potential, and in recent years, there has been substantial interest by developers of wind generation to interconnect to PNM’s transmission system in this area.
Sources Of Power
TNMP
TNMP provides only transmission and distribution services and does not sell power.
PNM
Generation Capacity
In addition to PNM’s owned and contracted solar facilities, PNM has a customer distributed solar generation program that represented 308.5 MW as of December 31, 2024. PNM stores energy under ESAs (Energy Storage Agreements), and purchases renewable power under long-term PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements), all currently having expiration dates beginning in January 2035 and extending through May 2047. The NMPRC (New Mexico Public Regulation Commission) has approved plans for PNM to procure energy and RECs from additional resources to serve retail customers, and a data center located in PNM’s service territory, which are expected to be in service by summer of 2026.
Fossil-Fueled Plants
Four Corners Units 4 and 5 are 13% owned by PNM. These units are jointly owned with APS (Arizona Public Service Company, the operator and a co-owner of PVNGS and Four Corners), SRP (Salt River Project), Tucson, and NTEC (Navajo Transitional Energy Company, LLC), and are operated by APS. PNM had no ownership interest in Four Corners Units 1, 2, or 3, which were shut down by APS in 2013. The Four Corners plant site is located on land within the Navajo Nation and is subject to an easement from the federal government. APS, on behalf of the Four Corners participants, negotiated amendments to extend the owners’ right to operate the plant on the site to July 2041.
PNM owns 100% of Reeves, Afton, Rio Bravo, Lordsburg, and La Luz, and one-third of Luna. The remaining interests in Luna are owned equally by Tucson and Samchully Power & Utilities 1, LLC. PNM is also entitled to the entire output of Valencia under a PPA. Reeves, Lordsburg, Rio Bravo, La Luz, and Valencia are used primarily for peaking power and transmission support.
Nuclear Plant
PNM is participating in the three units of PVNGS (Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station) with APS (the operating agent), SRP, EPE (El Paso Electric Company), SCE (Southern California Edison Company), SCPPA (Southern California Public Power Authority), and the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles. PNM has ownership interests of 2.3% in Unit 1, 9.4% in Unit 2, and 10.2% in Unit 3.
Purchased Power
PNM engages in activities to optimize its existing jurisdictional assets and long-term power agreements through transacting in the hour-ahead, day-ahead, week-ahead, and month-ahead bilateral markets that allow PNM to market any excess generation not required to fulfill retail load and contractual commitments.
PNM participates in the EIM (Western Energy Imbalance Market developed and operated by CAISO), a real-time wholesale energy trading market operated by CAISO (California Independent System Operator), which enables participating electric utilities to buy and sell energy, which has generated cost savings that are passed through to customers under PNM’s FPPAC (Fuel and Purchased Power Adjustment Clause). PNM also plans to join the EDAM (Extended Day Ahead Market), which is a voluntary day-ahead regional market that expands on CAISO’s EIM market, as early as 2027. PNM also engages in activities to optimize its existing jurisdictional assets and long-term power agreements through transacting in the hour-ahead, day-ahead, week-ahead, and month-ahead bilateral markets that allow PNM to market any excess generation not required to fulfill retail load and contractual commitments. PNM joined the WRAP (Western Resource Adequacy Program) in April 2023, which is a first-of-its-kind program in the West that adds a region-wide coordination between power providers for assessing and addressing resource adequacy. WRAP is currently in the non-binding phases of the program, which is expected to continue through the summer of 2027.
Joint Projects
SJGS (San Juan Coal Company), PVNGS, Four Corners, and Luna are joint projects each owned or leased by several different entities. Some participants in the joint projects are investor-owned entities, while others are privately, municipally, tribally, or cooperatively owned. Furthermore, participants in SJGS had varying percentage interests in different generating units within the project, and have different percentage interests with respect to plant decommissioning and coal mine reclamation obligations.
The primary operating or participation agreements for the other joint projects expire July 2041 for Four Corners, December 2046 for Luna, and November 2047 for PVNGS. Four Corners is located on land within the Navajo Nation and is subject to an easement from the federal government.
The company is possible that other participants in the joint projects have circumstances and objectives that have changed from those existing at the time of becoming participants. The status of these joint projects is further complicated by the uncertainty surrounding the form of potential legislation and/or regulation of GHG (Greenhouse Gas Emissions), other air emissions, and (Coal Combustion Residuals) CCRs, as well as the impacts of the costs of compliance and operational viability of all or certain units within the joint projects. It is unclear how these factors will enter into discussions and negotiations concerning the status of the joint projects as the expiration of basic operational agreements approaches.
FUEL
PNM
In 2024, 7.3% of PNM’s generation was from utility-owned solar, which has no fuel cost. Due to locally available natural gas, the utilization of locally available coal deposits, and the generally adequate supply of nuclear fuel, that adequate sources of fuel are available for its generating stations into the foreseeable future. PNM recovers substantially all of its fuel and purchased power costs through the FPPAC.
Coal
Four Corners obtains its coal requirements from a mine near the plant. The coal supply arrangement for Four Corners runs through July 6, 2031, and provides for pricing adjustments over its term based on economic indices.
Natural Gas
The natural gas used as fuel for the electric generating plants is procured on the open market and delivered by third-party transportation providers. PNM has contracted for firm gas transmission capacity to minimize the potential for disruptions due to extreme weather events. Certain natural gas plants of PNM’s are generally used as peaking resources that are highly relied upon during seasonally high load periods, and/or during periods of extreme weather, which also may be the times natural gas has the highest demand from other users.
Nuclear Fuel and Waste
PNM is one of several participants in PVNGS. The PVNGS participants are continually identifying their future nuclear fuel resource needs and negotiating arrangements to fill those needs. Additional needed supplies are covered through existing inventories or spot market transactions. The PVNGS participants have contracted for 100% of PVNGS’s requirements for uranium concentrates through 2025, and an average of 50% through 2030. For conversion services, 100% are contracted through 2025, and an average of 86% through 2030. For enrichment services, an average of 75% is contracted through 2028. For fuel assembly fabrication, 100% is contracted through 2027.
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 required the DOE to begin to accept, transport, and dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste generated by the nation’s nuclear power plants by 1998. The DOE’s obligations are reflected in a contract with each nuclear power plant. The DOE failed to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel by 1998. APS (on behalf of itself and the other PVNGS participants) pursued legal actions for which settlements were reached.
The DOE (United States Department of Energy) had planned to meet its disposal obligations by designing, licensing, constructing, and operating a permanent geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In March 2010, the DOE filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice its Yucca Mountain construction authorization application that was pending before the NRC (United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Several legal proceedings followed challenging DOE’s withdrawal of its Yucca Mountain construction authorization application. None of these lawsuits have been conclusively decided. However, the DC Circuit ordered the NRC to resume its review of the application. The results of the NRC’s review publications do not signal whether or when the NRC might authorize construction of the repository.
All spent nuclear fuel from PVNGS is being stored on-site. PVNGS has sufficient capacity at its on-site ISFSI to store all of the nuclear fuel that will be irradiated during the initial operating license periods, which end in December 2027. Additionally, PVNGS has sufficient capacity at its on-site ISFSI to store a portion of the fuel that will be irradiated during the extended license periods, which end in November 2047.
Environmental Matters
PVNGS is subject to the jurisdiction of the NRC, which has the authority to issue permits and licenses, and to regulate nuclear facilities in order to protect the health and safety of the public from radioactive hazards, and to conduct environmental reviews.
History
The company was founded in 1882. It was incorporated in 2000. The company was formerly known as PNM Resources, Inc and changed its name to TXNM Energy, Inc. in August 2024.