How Collaboration Helped Make SunZia Better for Birds

Construction of the SunZia Wind and Transmission Project is now complete, and the project's 550-mile transmission line is delivering renewable energy generated by 914 wind turbines from New Mexico to Arizona and customers across the Western grid. Since 2018, Audubon has worked with Pattern Energy and partners to advance the project in ways that benefit birds and their habitats.  As the largest renewable energy infrastructure project in U.S. history, SunZia is a strong example of how developers and conservation organizations can work together to expand the electric grid while planning with birds in mind.

The project was highlighted as a case study in Audubon’s 2023 Birds and Transmission Report, which explains that there is no path to stabilizing the climate for birds and people without dramatically expanding and modernizing the grid to deliver renewable energy. In the case of SunZia, the transmission line was essential to unlocking New Mexico's abundant wind resources, which generate the most electricity in the late afternoon and evening when demand on the grid is often highest. The report also acknowledges that transmission lines can pose risks to birds if they are not carefully planned and designed, which is why Audubon works directly with developers to share bird- and wildlife-friendly recommendations based on the best available science.

SunZia is a strong example of what that looks like. Audubon was involved at multiple stages of planning, sharing scientific expertise and practical recommendations that helped shape project outcomes. This included:

• Offering guidance on best practices for transmission routing, tower siting, installation methods, and tower design.  
• Providing research and conservation expertise on opportunities to avoid or minimize impacts before construction started. 
• Serving as a convener among Pattern Energy, conservation organizations, and government agencies, leading to productive conversations.  
• Discussing how different route alternatives could affect birds and wildlife, helping inform the review process.

Those conversations resulted in meaningful improvements to the project. Pattern Energy committed to installing bird flight diverters on portions of the transmission line where collision risk is greatest, helping make the wires more visible to flying birds. The company also relocated crossings along the Rio Grande River to reduce risks to Sandhill Cranes and other migratory birds and co-located portions of the transmission line alongside existing rights-of-way where feasible to minimize habitat fragmentation.

Beyond the transmission line itself, the project includes significant conservation commitments, including some that went above and beyond what was required by permitting agencies:

• Pattern agreed to purchase and transfer an 1,100-acre farm with senior water rights along the Rio Grande in central New Mexico to the New Mexico Department of Wildlife as a new Wildlife Management Area for the state. 
• In Arizona, the company redesigned portions of the route to span sensitive canyons in the Lower San Pedro River Valley and committed to a robust vegetation mitigation program, offsetting impacts at a 3:1 ratio. 
• The project’s Avian Protection Plan and Migratory Bird Conservation Plan included an innovative Habitat Equivalency Analysis that quantified compensation for impacts within the transmission rights-of-way—something that’s quite unheard of for terrestrial energy development. 
• The project has also supported research on Sandhill Cranes, Pinyon Jays, bats, and other wildlife that will help inform future conservation efforts.

SunZia demonstrates that impacts can be avoided, minimized, and offset when developers, conservation organizations, and public agencies work together early and often. In that same spirit, the Western Governors’ Association is leading a multi-state effort to modernize and expand transmission infrastructure across the Intermountain West. As the United States continues to build the electric grid needed for a clean energy future, this kind of science-based, collaborative approach can help ensure new transmission is responsibly sited and planned to benefit birds, communities, and the places we all need.