NextEra, Xcel put online New Mexico’s largest solar project at 70 MW-AC

NextEra is building a second PV project also 70 MW-AC in capacity, which should be online at the end of this month.

October 7, 2016 Christian Roselund

Image: Xcel Energy

Yesterday state and local officials joined executives from NextEra Energy Resources and Xcel Energy to celebrate two large solar PV projects in New Mexico, one of which has come online and the other expected to be complete by the end of the month.

The 70 MW-AC Roswell Solar Energy Center became commercially operational on September 1, and Xcel reports that the 70 MW Chaves County Solar Energy Center is expected to reach COD on October 31 or November 1.

Together, the two projects comprise roughly 600,000 PV modules mounted on single-axis trackers. Xcel has signed long-term power contracts with both plants on behalf of its utilities in Texas and New Mexico.

The companies note that the projects created roughly 300 jobs during the construction phase. This is an important benefit for New Mexico, which suffers from persistent poverty and high unemployment.

Correction: This article was updated at 10:40 AM Eastern Time on October 7. An earlier version stated that both projects had been commissioned, and this has been corrected upon receipt of further information from Xcel Energy to state that only the Roswell plant is currently online. We regret the error.

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