Two of the three renewable energy projects in Doña Ana County are on-line and producing electricity under a power purchase agreement with El Paso Electric. Construction for the third solar energy project has begun in Las Cruces.
NRG at Santa Teresa
NRG Energy, through its wholly owned subsidiary NRG Solar, completed construction recently on the Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility, which is one of the first large-scale solar projects built in New Mexico. The Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility is located on 210 acres near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. Its 340,000 photovoltaic solar panels can produce up to 20 megawatts of electricity, which is enough power to supply 6,600 homes in El Paso Electric’s system. (Related story)
NextEra at Hatch
NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, recently completed one of the largest concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems in North America on 39 acres in the Hatch Industrial Park, 7 miles west of the Village of Hatch. The 5-megawatt (MW) system, with 81 solar tracking concentrator panels, was funded by Village of Hatch Industrial Revenue Bonds. The Village put an emphasis on New Mexico jobs for New Mexicans. (Related story)
SunEdison at Las Cruces
SunEdison, one of the largest solar energy providers in North America, has begun construction of the solar power generation facility at the City of Las Cruces West Mesa Industrial Park. The 12MW solar power project is expected to require 230 construction jobs for a 6-9 month period.