US Largest 3.65 GW SunZia Wind Farm is Now Operational

U.S. Largest 3,650 MW SunZia Wind Farm with 916 Turbines Begins Powering One Million Homes Annually

The United States has brought the massive SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico into commercial operation. Developed by Pattern Energy, the project has a total net summer generating capacity of 3,650 MW (3.65 GW). Pattern Energy announced that the full SunZia project came online on June 18, 2026.

With 916 wind turbines, it is now the largest wind farm in the United States and is more than three times the size of the next two largest U.S. wind farms, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The enormous wind farm stretches across San Miguel, Lincoln and Torrance counties in central New Mexico. Its 916 turbines are divided into two main sections. The northern section contains 242 turbines in San Miguel and Lincoln counties, while the southern section contains another 674 turbines in Lincoln and Torrance counties.

The project uses 242 Vestas turbines rated at about 4.5 MW each and 674 GE Vernova turbines rated at about 3.6 MW each, according to current project information.

SunZia represents an enormous increase in New Mexico’s wind-generation capacity. Before the project came online, the state’s net summer wind capacity was about 3,997 MW. The addition of SunZia raises that figure to about 7,647 MW, meaning the project alone adds almost as much wind capacity as the state previously had.

EIA says wind now represents about 45% of New Mexico’s generating-capacity mix, making the state an even larger source of wind power for the Western U.S. electricity market.

A major part of SunZia is its dedicated 550-mile high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission system. The ±525 kV line carries electricity from central New Mexico to a converter station in south-central Arizona.

The transmission system has about 3,021 MW of power capacity, allowing electricity from the remote wind project to reach Arizona and Southern California. EIA reports that about 2,131 MW of this transmission capacity will be delivered and consumed in Southern California through the Palo Verde Substation.

The transmission connection is already changing regional electricity flows. EIA reports that CAISO began importing electricity from the new SunZia wind project in April 2026. This helped increase electricity imports into California as the state managed changing generation patterns.

In the first five months of 2026, CAISO’s overall electricity imports doubled compared with the same period two years earlier, although EIA attributes the increase to multiple sources, including greater hydroelectric imports from the Pacific Northwest as well as the new SunZia wind project.

Pattern Energy describes SunZia as one of the largest clean-energy infrastructure projects ever built in the United States. The company says the combined wind and transmission development is designed to supply electricity equivalent to the needs of about 1 million American homes. It also estimates about $20.5 billion in total economic benefits, including direct, indirect and induced economic activity.

The following table shows the New Mexico’s SunZia Wind Project capacity and current ratings.

Resources:

US Wind Power Projects

US Solar Power Projects