ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will hear public comments Thursday on an application from Blackstone, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, to take over New Mexico’s largest public utility. It’s the only opportunity so far for the general public to weigh in on the proposal, which commissioners will consider during an evidentiary hearing in May.
What: Public hearing on Blackstone proposal to acquire Public Service Company of New Mexico and its parent company, TXNM Energy.
When: 4 – 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.
Where: New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, Clifford Plaza, Roadrunner Conference Room, 4100 Osuna Road NE, Albuquerque, N.M., 87109.
To sign up for public comment online or by telephone, send an email to [email protected] or call (505) 490-7910 by 5 p.m. Feb. 4.
Who: Commissioners will hear comments in person, on Zoom and by telephone. People who want to comment in person should sign in when they arrive at the conference room. Comments will be limited to three minutes.
Written comments can be sent to: [email protected].
Background
In addition to its application before the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, Blackstone needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to acquire Public Service Company of New Mexico. That application is pending.
If the applications are approved by FERC and New Mexico utility regulators, Blackstone will gain control over most of New Mexico’s energy system. This could force New Mexico ratepayers to foot the bill for powering Blackstone’s massive data center investments, while draining its scarce water resources and polluting air.
The explosive growth in AI-driven data centers is fueling rising electricity demand across the country, which is driving new fossil fuel power generation that worsens the climate emergency and is draining water aquifers. Blackstone is investing heavily in data centers and acquiring the Public Service Company of New Mexico could allow the firm to leverage the utility to subsidize its other business ventures.
