Farmington, NM, Is Leading the Charge in the Future of Energy
The city of Farmington and the surrounding New Mexico region are important players in the growing energy arena.
Sponsored by: City of Farmington
For decades, the San Juan Basin has been a notable natural gas provider. Years of being an energy leader in electric generation, natural gas extraction and energy education has resulted in a concentration of highly talented individuals with very specialized skill sets.
The city of Farmington, NM, is staying ahead of the curve and looking toward the future, and its workforce is proving up to the task of energy generation and exploration.
The community’s newest focus is on hydrogen – a cleaner energy source that doesn’t produce emissions – and is actively contributing to a four-state coalition competing for one of the federal government’s Hydrogen Hub projects, which could garner billions of dollars in investment for the region.
“We want to take the skill and expertise we have in the region and point them in a new, vibrant direction, all while providing new jobs and educational opportunities,” says Warren Unsicker, director of economic development for the city of Farmington.
In fact, the San Juan College School of Energy has been awarded a federal grant to provide applicable to upcoming, displaced and veteran workforce, and will be a stackable credential.
“We already have an established history of teaching how to produce and manage energy that is sought after nationally,” notes Alicia Corbell, dean of the School of Energy.
Four Corners Economic Development, of which Farmington is a stakeholder, recently proposed a partnership program with the Navajo Agricultural Project Industry to host a pilot program that would create a commercial-scale agricultural test farm.
The project would be completely carbon sequestered with a goal of hydrogen training that will be available and being carbon negative. Per its Interim CEO, Scott Bird: “The regional assets that San Juan County has to offer make us a major player in the hydrogen energy industry.”
Across the board, the city of Farmington and the region are proactively pivoting to apply its already strong base of highly skilled workers to the clean energy frontier.
“The expertise that we bring to the table is the perfect fit for the future of energy,” Unsicker concludes.
Learn more about the city of Farmington at fmtn.org. Learn more about regional economic development efforts at 4cornersed.com.
