Friday, June 20, 2014

New Mexico's largest solar plant opens

The state's largest solar power plant has opened on 600 acres in southern New Mexico. New Mexico State Land Commissioner Ray Powell visited Deming on Wednesday to marking the opening of Macho Springs Solar Facility, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports. Built on state trust land in Luna County, the project is jointly owned by Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power and by Turner Renewable Energy. The 50-megawatt solar power project provided about 300 jobs during the construction phase, Powell said. "It will provide a constant stream of revenue for our public schools," Powell said. "This project will provide clean, efficient solar power to El Paso Electric service customers, and the lease payments could generate as much as $10 million for our school kids over the 40-year term of the lease." Construction on the project started in July 2013, and it began operation in May of this year. The additional solar generation doubles the amount of solar energy in the El Paso Electric system, said Marybeth G. Stevens, the company's assistant vice president for external affairs and public relations...more

No comments: