New Mexico
Meet GE Vernova. It’s supplying wind turbines to $11 billion project in New Mexico.
A Massachusetts-based company will supply hundreds of wind turbines to the SunZia Wind project in central New Mexico, an array touted as the largest in the western hemisphere.
GE Vernova was contracted by SunZia owner Pattern Energy to provide 674 turbines, the largest in the company’s history, estimated to generated 2.4 gigawatts of power.
The contract included the equipment and a long-term services deal, according to a company announcement.
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GE Vernova is a subsidiary of General Electric, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts designed to build and service renewable energy projects throughout the U.S.
In 2021, the company then named GE Renewable Energy supplied 377 turbines producing 1,050 megawatts to Patterns Western Spirit Wind farms in Guadalupe, Torrance and Lincoln counties.
In total, SunZia will produce about 3.5 GW of energy at the wind farm in Lincoln, Torrance and San Miguel counties, bring the companies’ total capacity to about 4 GW of wind power in New Mexico.
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Internationaly, GE Vernova on Jan. 16 announced its power conversion business was equipping ships owned by the United Kingdom with hybrid engines as a means of decarbonizing the UK Ministry of Defense and on Jan. 15 said was hired to modernize gas plants in Kuwait – reducing carbon emission equivalent to 16,000 cars on the road.
SunZia project in New Mexico moves forward amid energy transition
The SunZia project also included a 550-mile transmission line sending the energy through southern New Mexico to a termination point in Pinal County, Arizona where it will then be sent into urban markets of southern California.
Pattern recently announced it received final approvals and investment funding to begin construction at the end of 2023, with it expected to go into service in 2026.
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Vernova Chief Executive Officer Scott Strazik said the project was bolstered by federal funding available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a signature package of environmental and infrastructure legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022.
Strazik said the bill created the “certainty” needed to increase investments in large-scale renewable energy projects like SunZia.
“We are pleased to support Pattern Energy on this monumental project that reinforces the key role wind power has in delivering renewable energy to meet the growing demand for power in the Western U.S. and in accelerating the energy transition,” he said.
“The project is a great example of how the policy certainty created by the IRA is helping to drive significant investments in the U.S. wind power market.”
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The turbines will be supplied using Vernova’s tower manufacturing facility in Belen, along with others in Pueblo, Colorado and Amarillo, Texas.
How will wind power project benefit New Mexico?
In total, Pattern estimated the wind and transmission projects will produce about $20.5 billion in economic benefits for New Mexico communities on a $16 billion investment in the state.
It will bring 100 permanent, and 2,000 temporary construction jobs to the state at the wind farm and along the transmission line’s route.
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Pattern CEO Hunter Armistead said the project would generate enough renewable energy for three million Americans, and that the manufacturing work was being completed in the U.S., driving domestic jobs.
“Nacelles and towers for the GE turbine are being domestically produced right here in the United States, helping SunZia create thousands of new jobs in manufacturing and construction,” he said.
Vic Abate, Vernova chief technical officer and CEO of its wind business said the project and others like will aid the U.S. in reducing pollution created by energy production.
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“These investments are aiding the country’s efforts to decarbonize the electric grid in support of climate change goals,” Abate said. “Mega projects like SunZia, coupled with the IRA, are enabling our continued investments in wind technology, domestic manufacturing, and product quality.”
Owners hope to allay conservation concerns of SunZia line’s route
The SunZia project was not without controversy since its design and federal review began in 2006.
The project went through several route adjustments, regulatory changes and shifted ownership to Pattern Energy in 2022.
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Concerns were raised chiefly for the transmission lines route through a river crossing near Socorro, which critics said could imperil migratory birds as it would cross the Rio Grande between the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge to the north and Bosque del Apache to the south.
Similar fears were voiced in Arizona and a crossing through the San Pedro River Basin.
In 2020, the project’s route was adjusted to avoid crossing through White Sands Missile Range, a move that appeared to alleviate some of the concerns in New Mexico.
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In August 2023, the Audubon Society released a report detailing the impacts of transmission lines on migratory birds, specifically mentioning SunZia as a “case study” in how developments can benefit conservation.
The reported noted the change to the line’s route to avoid the missile range also moved it out of the Rio Grande crossing, which the Society believed would risk collisions with migrating Sandhill Cranes.
Other technologies were also used like ultraviolet light-based systems to prevent collisions by making the line more visible to the birds, the report read.
It noted Pattern and other developers of SunZia collaborated with the Audubon society and conservation groups to address such concerns for the project.
“This approach is essential to optimize mitigation for birds, ensure the best data and science are used, and make projects into long-term successes worthy of Audubon’s support,” the report read.
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.
Art Briles is set to become the next coach at Eastern New Mexico, a Division II program, as he makes his return to college football after nearly a decade, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday night, confirming a report.
Briles, 69, has not worked at a college program since being fired as Baylor’s head coach in 2016 following a review of the university’s handling of sexual assault allegations made against several football players. He since has had stints coaching for Guelfi Firenze in the Italian Football League and at Mount Vernon High School in Texas from 2019 to 2020.
In 2022, Grambling State attempted to hire Briles as offensive coordinator, but following a backlash, he told the school just four days later that he would not pursue the role, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team. A similar situation occurred in 2017 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, who tried to hire Briles but then pulled their offer on the same day amid backlash.
Eastern New Mexico athletic director Kevin Fite served as associate athletic director for compliance and eligibility at Houston when Briles served as the school’s head coach. Briles, who built his reputation as an offensive innovator at Texas high schools before entering the college ranks, went 99-65 as the coach at Baylor and Houston with three conference titles. He led Baylor to 10 or more wins in four of his final five seasons there.
Several months after his firing from Baylor, Briles, in an interview with ESPN, apologized for what happened under his watch of the program.
“I understand that I made some mistakes, and for that I’m sorry,” he said then. “But I’m not trying to plead for people’s sympathy. I’m just stating that, ‘Hey, I made some mistakes. I was wrong. I’m sorry. I’m going to learn. I’m going to do better.’”
In 2023, a federal judge ruled that Briles was not negligent in a case involving a female Baylor student who reported being physically assaulted by one of the school’s football players in 2014. Briles, who led Baylor’s program from 2008 to 2015, received a $15.1 million settlement from Baylor, which fired him with eight years remaining on his contract.
Mark Berman, former sports director at KRIV Fox 26 in Houston, first reported the news of Briles’ hiring at Eastern New Mexico.
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – NOVEMBER 22: Habtom Samuel #713 of the New Mexico Lobos runs during the Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course on November 22, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Amy Kontras/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
When it comes to championship racing, timing is everything.
New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel certainly knew this heading into the NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday.
Making matters more pressing, though, was the fact that the University of New Mexico junior had finished second at nationals over the prior two seasons—in 2024, in fact, he lost one of his spikes and still finished second overall.
This time, though, he didn’t want to leave a doubt.
And that’s exactly what Samuel did, unleashing a spectacular move with 1,500 meters left to pull away from the field and claim his first individual win in a time of 28:33.9 over 10,000 meters. Meters from the finish, Samuel drew out his arms and weaved his way to the finish, soaking in the moment.
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – NOVEMBER 22: Habtom Samuel #713 of the New Mexico Lobos runs during the Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course on November 22, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Amy Kontras/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
“I said to my coach, ‘I’m going to surprise you guys today,’” Samuel told reporters afterward. “I wanted to be patient. I understood the game and made a good decision.”
Samuel’s 1,000-meter split over the ninth kilometer was 2:37.4, a time that equals out to a 4:13 mile. That surge mattered in the long run, because it put distance between him and his competition. In fact, it put him three seconds on Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen and Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau, and four seconds on Oklahoma State’s Denis Kipngetich and five on Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge.
“I kind of planned on not coming with the guys through 400 (meters) or something,” Samuel said. “I know some guys at 1,500, maybe they gonna kick me out, so I prefer to just run longer and just run hard. That was my plan.”
Hansen, the first American collegian to finish and one of just two inside the top 10, was second in 28:38, while Kipchoge was third in 28:40.1. Musau was fourth, while Oklahoma State’s Fouad Messaoudi and Kipngetich were fifth and sixth.
All were vying for the win down the stretch.
How The Men’s NCAA Cross Country Championships Shook Out
It wasn’t all bad news for the Oklahoma State men, though.
The Cowboys totaled a low of 57 points, winning their second championship since 2023 under head coach Dave Smith.
The win was also a bit of validation for the 19-year head coach, who in the days leading up to the championship was involved in a somewhat heated discussion about the use of international athletes on NCAA rosters.
In a story by the Desert News that published before NCAAs, BYU coach Ed Eyestone commented on the proliferation of overseas companies specializing in the signing of African runners to U.S. colleges for fees, saying “I always felt I’d be embarrassed to have seven foreigners on the team.”
Oklahoma State’s top four runners on Saturday were recruited and signed internationally, while its fifth, senior Ryan Schoppe, joined the Cowboys from a Texas high school in 2020.
Smith was apparently not happy with the comment and countered in a pre-race press conference.
“I have no problem with anybody running their program within the rules and doing things the way they should be done,” Smith said. “If I believe that someone doesn’t like a rule or doesn’t like a situation in the NCAA, don’t b**** about it. Go change it. Get involved. Get involved in the sport. Get involved in leadership and make change the way change is supposed to be made. Otherwise, shut up and coach your team. That’s what I think about this stuff.”
Elsewhere, New Mexico’s men slotted in second overall in the team race with 82 points, while one of the pre-race favorites, Iowa State, was third with 158 points. Syracuse and Oregon were fourth and fifth, respectively.
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – NOVEMBER 22: Doris Lemngole #109 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs during the Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course on November 22, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Amy Kontras/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Doris Lemngole, Jane Hedengren Battle In Women’s NCAA Cross Country Championships
In the women’s race, a two-way battle emerged between defending NCAA champion Doris Lemngole and BYU star freshman Jane Hedengren.
After leading for the first half of the race, Hedengren succumbed to Lemngole’s press at about the 3,000-meter mark, though she stayed on the runner’s hip almost until the near end.
It wasn’t until the final last meters–about less than 800 meters to go–that the 23-year-old Lemngole finally began to leg past Hedengren.
The Alabama junior went on to claim her second straight national title over 6,000 meters, this time crossing the line in 18:25.4. She’s the first repeat champion since Villanova’s Sheila Reid in 2010 and 2011.
Hedengren was vying to become the first freshman since Suzie Tuffey in 1985 to win a national cross-country title.
Florida senior Hilda Olemomoi was third in 18:46.4, while BYU’s Riley Chamberlain was fourth in 18:47.0.
The NC State Women Win Their Fifth Cross Country Title Since 2021
Next brought home NC State’s title run.
Between Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman, who finished fifth and sixth, the two juniors led the Wolfpack to their fifth national title since 2021 under head coach Laurie Henes.
NC State, which nabbed a three-peat from 2021-2023, scored 114 points and outlasted BYU’s own bid for a repeat.
The Cougars were second with 130 points, securing their fifth first- or second-place finish since 2019 under head coach Diljeet Taylor.
Oregon was third overall with 153 points, while New Mexico was fourth and Florida fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
New Mexico
Deyton Albury scores 13 for New Mexico in 80-78 win over Mississippi State in Hall of Fame Classic
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Deyton Albury scored 13 points for New Mexico, including the go-ahead layup with 30 seconds left in an 80-78 win over Mississippi State in the Hall of Fame Classic consolation game on Friday night.
Albury’s layup came off a turnover on a bad pass, sending the Lobos (4-2) on a fast break before Uriah Tenette was fouled. Tenette hit both shots from the free-throw line with seven seconds left to end the game.
Thomislav Buljan earned his third double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 21 rebounds, breaking a freshman program record for most rebounds in a game. Tenette added 13 points, and Antonio Chol had 12.
Mississippi State (2-3) was led by Josh Hubbard, who scored 29 points and dished out four assists. He shot 11 of 25 from the field and six of 13 from beyond the arc. Jayden Epps added 21 points.
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