List of power stations in New Mexico

This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in the U.S. state of New Mexico, sorted by type and name. In 2019, New Mexico had a total summer capacity of 8,770 MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 35,175 GWh.[2] The corresponding electrical energy generation mix was 41.8% coal, 33.6% natural gas, 19.6% wind, and 3.9% solar PV. Petroleum, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric each generated less than a 0.5% share.[1]

Sources of New Mexico electricity generation: full-year 2019 [1]

  Coal (41.8%)

  Natural Gas (33.6%)

  Hydroelectric (0.4%)

  Wind (19.6%)

  Biomass (0.1%)

  Solar (3.9%)

  Geothermal (0.2%)

  Petroleum (0.5%)

Small-scale solar including customer-owned photovoltaic panels delivered an additional net 301 GWh to New Mexico's electricity grid in 2019. This was less than one-quarter of the amount generated by the state's utility-scale photovoltaic plants.[1]

New Mexico hosts the nation's only long-term underground repository for waste from nuclear weapons research and production, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad. Extraction of the state's nearby Permian Basin oil reserves for transportation and other uses rose to the nation's third highest, contributing 6% of total U.S. production in 2018.[3] New Mexico's oil extraction included the flaring of over 35 billion cubic feet of associated petroleum gas in each of the years 2018 and 2019.[4] This amount of wasted natural gas could have generated about 5,000 GWh of electrical energy, an amount equal to 14% of the state's total annual generation.[5]

Fossil-fuel power stations

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[6]

Coal

Name	Image	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Year Opened	Scheduled Retirement	Ref
Four Corners Generating Station		San Juan County	36°41′24″N 108°28′53″W	1,636	1969 (Unit 4) 1970 (Unit 5)	Units 1, 2 & 3 CLOSED 2013 Unit 4 & 5 - 2031	[7][8][9]
San Juan Generating Station		San Juan County	36°48′02″N 108°26′19″W	924	1973 (Unit 1) 1982 (Unit 4)	Units 2 and 3 CLOSED 2017 Units 1 and 4 retiring in 2022	[10][11][12]
Escalante Generating Station		McKinley County	35°24′57″N 108°04′55″W	257	1984	CLOSED Aug 2020	[13][14][15][16]

Petroleum

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Generation Type	Operator	Year Opened	Ref	Note
Freeport McMoRan	Grant County	32.6618°N 108.3628°W	30.5	Reciprocating Engine (x10)	Public Service Co of NM	1967/1972
Quay County	Quay County	35.1828°N 103.7311°W	27	Simple Cycle	Southwestern Public Service	2013

Natural gas

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Generation Type	Operator	Year Opened	Ref	Note
Afton	Dona Ana County	32.1142°N 106.8465°W	287	1x1 Combined Cycle	Public service Co of NM	2002/2007
Algodones	Sandoval County	35.3844°N 106.4642°W	45	Steam Turbine (x3)	Public Service Co of NM	1954/1959
Animas	San Juan County	36.7251°N 108.1920°W	18	Simple Cycle	City of Farmington	1994
Bluffview	San Juan County	36.7166°N 108.2153°W	67	1x1 Combined Cycle	City of Farmington	2005
Chino Hurley Mines	Grant County	32.6956°N 108.1225°W	54	1x1 Combined Cycle	Freeport McMoRan Corp	1959/2001
Cunningham	Lea County	32.7131°N 103.3533°W	519	Steam Turbine (x2), Simple Cycle (x2)	Southwestern Public Service Co	1957/1965/ 1998
Ford Utilities	Bernalillo County	35.0841°N 106.6252°W	13.7	Simple Cycle (x2)	University of New Mexico	2005/2014
Hobbs	Lea County	32.7283°N 103.3094°W	665	2x1 Combined Cycle, Simple Cycle	Lea Power Partners	2008
La Luz	Valencia County	34.6161°N 106.8150°W	42.3	Simple Cycle	Public Service Co of NM	2015
LCEC Generation	Lea County	32.9781°N 103.3239°W	46.5	Reciprocating Engine (x5)	Western Farmers Elec Coop, Inc	2012
Lordsburg	Hidalgo County	32.3505°N 108.6980°W	88	Simple Cycle (x2)	Public Service Co of NM	2002
Luna	Luna County	32.2993°N 107.7834°W	650	2x1 Combined Cycle	Public Service Co of NM	2006
Maddox	Lea County	32.7142°N 103.3015°W	212	Steam Turbine, Simple Cycle (x2)	Southwestern Public Service Co	1963/1967/ 1976
Pyramid	Hidalgo County	32.2363°N 108.5494°W	186	Simple Cycle (x4)	Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc	2003
Reeves	Bernalillo County	35.1710°N 106.6019°W	154	Steam Turbine (x3)	Public Service Co of NM	1960/1962
Rio Bravo	Bernalillo County	35.0260°N 106.6440°W	150	Simple Cycle	Public Service Co of NM	2000
Rio Grande	Dona Ana County	31.8047°N 106.5472°W	372	Steam Turbine (x3), Simple Cycle	El Paso Electric Co	1957/1958/1972/2013
Valencia	Valencia County	34.6115°N 106.7322°W	159.5	Simple Cycle	Valencia Power LLC	2008

Renewable power stations

Lightning Dock Geothermal Plant

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[6]

Geothermal

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Operator	Year Opened	Ref	Note
Lightning Dock	Animas, New Mexico	32.1447°N 108.8383°W	4.0	Cyrq Energy	2014	[17][18][19][20]

Biomass

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Generation Type	Fuel	Operator	Year Opened	Ref	Note
Four Peaks Camino Real	Dona Ana County	31.8111°N 106.5933°W	3.2	Reciprocating Engine (x2)	landfill gas	ENERGYneering Solutions	2008
Southside Water Reclamation	Bernalillo County	35.0161°N 106.6697°W	2.2	Reciprocating Engine (x2)	wastewater methane	City of Albuquerque	1987

Hydroelectric

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Operator	Year Opened	Ref
Abiquiu Dam	Abiquiu Lake	36.2399°N 106.4230°W	16.5	Los Alamos County	1994	[21][22]
El Vado Dam	El Vado Lake	36.5928°N 106.7321°W	8.0	Los Alamos County	1935	[23][24]
Elephant Butte Dam	Elephant Butte	33.1534°N 107.1920°W	28	United States Bureau of Reclamation	1916	[25][26]
Navajo Dam	Navajo Lake	36.8061°N 107.6131°W	30	City of Farmington	1989	[27][28]

Solar photovoltaic

Name	Location	Capacity (MWAC)	Year Opened	Ref
Roswell Solar Energy Center	33°27′11″N 104°27′40″W	70	2016	[29]
Chavez County Solar Energy Center	33°27′00″N 104°27′22″W	70	2016	[29]
Macho Springs Solar Facility	32°34′12″N 107°28′48″W	52	2014	[30]
Britton Solar Energy Center	35°0′58″N 106°5′53″W	50	2019	[31]
Encino Solar Energy Center	35°21′14″N 106°51′29″W	50	2020	[32]
Cimarron Solar Facility	36°28′N 104°38′W	30	2011	[33][34]
Alta Luna Solar Facility	32°34′19″N 107°29′11″W	28	2016	[35]
Caprock Solar Facility	34°58′58″N 103°22′42″W	25	2017	[36]
Facebook 2-3 Solar Energy Center Bernalillo County	35°04′48″N 106°51′54″W	20	2018	[37]
San Miguel Solar Energy Center	35°38′4″N 105°10′42″W	20	2019	[38]
Roadrunner Solar Electric Facility	31°48′N 106°40′W	20	2011	[39]
Las Cruces Centennial Solar Farm	32°15′06″N 106°54′48″W	12	2012	[40]
Santolina Solar Energy Center	35°01′06″N 106°51′20″W	10.5	2015	[41]
SunE SPS4 Monument	32°40′55″N 103°18′13″W	10.1	2011	[42]
SunE SPS5 Hopi	32°20′44″N 104°14′05″W	10.1	2011	[42]
SunE SPS1 Dollarhide	32°07′39″N 103°08′16″W	10	2011	[42]
SunE SPS2 Jal	32°11′01″N 103°10′59″W	10	2011	[42]
SunE SPS3 Lea	32°28′11″N 103°19′24″W	10	2011	[42]
South Valley Solar Energy Center	34°59′10″N 106°44′10″W	10	2015	[41]
Rio Communities Solar Energy Center	34°34′57″N 106°40′59″W	10	2015	[43]
Rio Rancho Solar Energy Center	35°6′17″N 106°28′57″W	10	2019	[44]
Facebook 1 Solar Energy Center Valencia County	34°49′52″N 106°45′43″W	10	2017	[45]
Vista Solar Energy Center	34°44′28″N 106°39′18″W	10	2019	[46]
Rio De Oro Solar Energy Center	34°41′32″N 106°41′17″W	10	2019	[47]
Santa Fe Solar Energy Center	35°33′41″N 106°05′10″W	9.5	2015	[48]
Meadow Lake Solar Energy Center	34°48′36″N 106°31′12″W	9.1	2015	[49]
Manzano Solar	34°44′48″N 106°39′16″W	8.4	2013	[50]
Otero Solar	32°58′35″N 105°58′16″W	8	2013	[51]
City of Gallup Solar	35°31′20″N 108°46′44″W	8	2018	[52]
Hatch Solar Energy Center	32°37′34″N 107°15′32″W	5	2011
Eubank Landfill Solar Array	35°02′57″N 106°31′48″W	2	2013
Questa Solar Facility	36°43′01″N 105°36′34″W	1	2010
Los Alamos Photovoltaic Site	35°52′32″N 106°18′36″W	1	2012	[53]

Wind

Name	Location	Capacity (MW)	Year Opened	Ref
Sagamore Wind	33°56′18″N 103°11′5″W	522	2020	[54][55]
Broadview Wind Project	36°44′03″N 103°06′29″W	324	2017	[56]
El Cabo Wind Farm	34°39′04″N 105°27′42″W	298	2018	[57]
Roosevelt Wind Farm	33°55′34″N 103°30′40″W	250	2015	[58]
Grady Wind Energy Center	34°44′03″N 103°05′32″W	220.5	2019	[59]
New Mexico Wind Energy Center	34°38′08″N 104°02′50″W	204	2003	[60]
San Juan Mesa Wind Farm	33°58′11″N 103°51′00″W	120	2006	[61]
Red Mesa Wind Energy Center	35°16′08″N 107°22′58″W	102.4	2010	[62]
High Lonesome Mesa Wind Farm	34°28′00″N 105°57′45″W	100	2009	[63]
Aragonne Mesa Wind Farm	34°48′53″N 105°00′39″W	90	2006	[64]
Caprock Wind Ranch	34°58′58″N 103°22′42″W	80	2005	[65]
Casa Mesa Wind Energy Center	34°36′18″N 103°57′58″W	50.9	2018	[66]
Macho Springs Wind Facility	32°33′16″N 107°30′33″W	50	2011	[67]
Milo Wind Project	33°54′06″N 103°20′49″W	50	2016	[68]
Sterling Wind Facility	33°21′35″N 103°15′02″W	29.9	2017	[69]
Wildcat Wind Facility	32°57′10″N 103°17′07″W	27.3	2012	[70]
Anderson Wind Project	33°00′50″N 103°51′54″W	15	2014	[71]

References

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7. Four Corners Steam Plant
8. Four Corners worries about jobs as coal-fired plants power down
9. IEEFA U.S: Tribal investment in struggling coal-fired Four Corners plant will lose millions
10. Farmington announces agreement to keep San Juan Generating Station open
11. San Juan Generating Station
12. How San Juan Generating Station went from powerhouse to possible closure
13. Escalante Generating Station
14. Why the Award-Winning Escalante Generating Station Calls Gallup Home
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29. 140 MW Solar Farms in SE NM to Start Delivering Power
30. Macho Springs - Fact Sheet
31. PRC approves fast-tracking solar for Facebook data center
32. PNM Solar
33. "Cimarron Solar Project". Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
34. Cimarron Solar Facility Begins Commercial Operation
35. Tri-State Announces 25-Megawatt Alta Luna Solar Project
36. North Carolina-based energy company's large solar project in New Mexico is up and running
37. Facebook: Sustainable Data Centers
38. Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860)
39. NRG Solar begins operations at New Mexico's Roadrunner facility
40. El Paso Electric - Las Cruces Centennial Solar Farm
41. PNM holds dedication ceremony for South Valley and Santolina Solar Energy Centers
42. Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness Solar Web Map
43. PNM Holds Dedication Ceremony for Rio Communities Solar Energy Center
44. Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860)
45. Facebook Data Center Solar Energy Generation
46. Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860)
47. PNM Sustainability: Rio De Oro Solar Energy Center 1
48. PNM Holds Dedication Ceremony for Santa Fe County Solar Energy Center
49. PNM installs panels at Meadow Lake solar center
50. Work Begins at PNM Manzano Solar Energy Center Site
51. Otero Solar Power Plant
52. Standard Solar completes 9.8-MW solar farm in Gallup, New Mexico
53. Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities Energy Resources
54. Lewis, Michelle (17 December 2020). "New Mexico's largest wind farm is now online". Electrek.
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56. Broadview Wind Project
57. Towers of Power: El Cabo plant is up and running
58. Roosevelt Wind Farm
59. Pattern Energy: Grady Wind
60. New Mexico Wind Energy Center
61. San Juan Mesa Wind Farm
62. Red Mesa Wind Energy Center
63. N.M. Attracting Wind Farms; Newest One With 40-Story Turbines
64. Aragonne Mesa Wind Farm
65. Caprock Wind Ranch
66. NextEra Energy Resources Portfolio
67. Macho Springs Wind Facility
68. EDF RE’s Milo Wind Project begins commercial operation
69. Sterling Wind Facility
70. Wildcat Wind Facility
71. Goldman Sachs Unit Buys New Mexico Project From BayWa