New solar and battery storage projects have been approved for construction in the southern part of the state by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NM PRC).
Agreements between El Paso Electric (EPE) and the 130 MW Carne Solar Project and the 65 MW Carne Battery Storage Project call for the projects to be located in Luna County near Deming. The projects are scheduled to be usable by mid-2025.
“The approved projects are good for the consumer and for the environment,” Commissioner James Ellison told KRQE. “The NM PRC is proud to play a role in decarbonizing New Mexico’s grid in a cost-effective manner.”
The NM PRC approved the projects earlier this month, and also amended purchase power agreements between El Paso Electric and the 100 MW Buena Vista I Solar, 20 MW Buena Vista II Solar and 50 MW Buena Vista storage projects. These already-built projects are in Otero County near Chaparral.
Eighty percent of the Buena Vista Solar Project’s output will go to EPE customers in Texas, per KRQE. According to the agreement, a total of 40% of the output from these combined projects will now go to EPE customers in New Mexico.
A report by the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research found that community solar could generate up to $517 million in benefits to the state's economy. It could create about 3,760 jobs in various sectors over the next five years, and more than $2.9 million in tax revenues annually.
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC), according to its website, "regulates the utilities, telecommunications, and motor carrier industries to ensure fair and reasonable rates, and to assure reasonable and adequate services to the public as provided by law. The NMPRC also promotes public safety through the offices of Pipeline Safety Bureau and Transportation Division."