SunZia Wind and Transmission by Pattern Energy: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Full 3.65 GW production and transmission

SunZia project announcement and approvals2019Complete.
Wind farm construction begins2023Complete.
First turbine installed2024Complete.
HVDC transmission line completed2025Complete.
Commercial operation date (COD)Jun 2026Complete.
Full 3.65 GW production and transmissionTarget Q3 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

SunZia Wind, the largest wind farm in the US, achieves commercial operation with 3.65 GW and 550-mile HVDC lineJun 2026

Upcoming

Q3 2026Full 3.65 GW production and transmission (next)
2027Announcement of next multi-GW Pattern Energy project
Q2 2027Expansion of SunZia transmission capacity

Current obstacles

Transmission line permitting550-mile HVDC required federal, state, local permits and right-of-way across multiple jurisdictions.
Wind curtailment during low demandWind farms exceed grid demand in low-load periods; partial solutions include storage and demand flexibility.

Physics limits

Wind variabilityWind speed varies hourly and seasonally; even large farms have near-zero output during calm periods. Seasonal wind patterns (higher in spring/fall) don't align perfectly with grid demand peaks (summer, winter).
Distance-limited by transmission lossAC transmission loses ~1-2% per 100 miles; HVDC reduces this to ~3% per 500 miles. Even so, transmitting 3.65 GW over 550 miles is near the practical limit for subsea or terrestrial HVDC.
Land use and environmental impactLarge solar and wind farms require tens of thousands of acres; impacts on bird/insect migration, habitat fragmentation, and visual landscape are unavoidable trade-offs.

How it works

4 parts

Wind site

Southern New Mexico resource

Excellent sustained wind resources near Deming; 42-45% capacity factor, above US 35% average.

Turbine array

916 modern wind turbines

4 MW turbines with 130+ m rotors; spaced to minimize wake losses between neighboring units.

HVDC transmission

±525 kV DC over 550 miles

AC is rectified to DC and transmitted with ~3% loss (vs. 8-12% for AC). This is the largest VSC-based HVDC link in the US, reaching Arizona and California.

Grid delivery

Southwest regional distribution

DC is inverted back to AC at receiving substations for delivery to Arizona Public Service and Southern California Edison.

Spec sheet

Spec	SunZia Wind and Transmission
Total wind capacity	3.65 GW^R (reported)
Number of turbines	916^R (reported)
Typical turbine capacity	4.0 MW^E (estimated)
HVDC transmission line length	550 miles (885 km)^R (reported)
HVDC voltage	±525 kV^R (reported)
Capacity factor (New Mexico)	~42-45%^E (estimated)
Annual energy generation	~13.5 TWh^E (estimated)

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

Papers & demos

2 items

Jun 2026demo
SunZia wind farm achieves commercial operation (opens eia.gov)3.65 GW wind generation now supplying power to Arizona and California utilities.
2024demo
SunZia transmission line construction completed (opens patternenergy.com)Demonstrates feasibility of 550-mile HVDC transmission for remote wind farms to reach major load centers.

Update log

1 update

Jun 2026

Major: SunZia Wind, the largest wind farm in the US, achieves commercial operation with 3.65 GW and 550-mile HVDC lineFilingCommercial

About Pattern Energy

The team behind SunZia Wind and Transmission

Pattern Energy

Wind power, renewable energy, transmission infrastructure

Pattern Energy is an independent power producer and renewable energy company that develops, owns and operates wind farms and long-distance transmission lines in North America. It was taken private in 2020 by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Pattern Energy owns and operates 5.3 GW of renewable energy projects across North and Central America.
SunZia Wind is the company's flagship project: 3.65 GW of wind generation with 550-mile HVDC transmission line to Arizona and California.
SunZia achieved commercial operation in June 2026, making it the largest wind farm in the US.

patternenergy.com (opens patternenergy.com)Company profile →

Founded: 200917 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Staff: ~1,050Jan 2024
Works in: EnergyWind
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 1 Jun 2026checked 11 Oct
Customers: Arizona Public Service (opens aps.com)Southern California Edison (opens sce.com)
Investors: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (opens cppinvestments.com)
People: Hunter Armistead (opens patternenergy.com)Chief Executive Officer

Spec

SunZia Wind and Transmission

Total wind capacity

3.65 GW^R (reported)

Number of turbines

916^R (reported)

Typical turbine capacity

4.0 MW^E (estimated)

HVDC transmission line length

550 miles (885 km)^R (reported)

HVDC voltage

±525 kV^R (reported)

Capacity factor (New Mexico)

~42-45%^E (estimated)

Annual energy generation

~13.5 TWh^E (estimated)