Rio Rancho solar farm to help bring energy, business

RIO RANCHO — A large solar investment is up and running in Rio Rancho and is set to make the community more attractive to companies.

The Atrisco Solar Power and Battery Storage project startup was celebrated in early December, but the project started supplying power in October. Located near Quail Ranch area in Bernalillo County, the project is online after PNM’s coal-fired power plant was shut down.

Mayor Gregg Hull talked about the investment last week.

“The total investment from the company is $850 million by Clinera. They built the facility. It was private financing. We did issue Industrial Revenue Bonds for the financing of the project, which basically is tax incentives for this type of investment similar to the IRBs issued for Intel Corporation by the county,” he said.

He said in this particular case, the investment is in line with the state’s initiatives on renewable energy that will benefit a part of the Rio Rancho community.

“We always make sure, like in this particular case, the school district is still going to get tax money from this project,” Hull said.

He added that this investment is a “big deal” for Rio Rancho.

“Obviously, this is another energy source. Rio Rancho is extremely attractive to companies that are looking to locate near a renewable energy source like this. What comes to mind is Facebook. One of its requirements is solar energy,” he said.

Another example he gave was data centers or other similar companies.

“This is going to make Rio Rancho extremely attractive, having this type of energy adjustment in our community for future economic development,” Hull said.

However, it is unlikely residents will see any direct impact in their own home.

“This particular facility feeds into the PNM grid. This particular solar range regenerates enough energy, basically, to power up two Rio Ranchos,” Hull said.

The energy is sent to homes but is not exclusively used in Rio Rancho.

Data on the project shows its capacity at 300megawatts of alternating current, 364 megawatts of direct current and 1,200 megawatt hours of battery storage. The 2,300-acre project will power more than 110,000 homes. It is also expected to generate more than $1 million per year in taxes.

According to Clenera, the dual-use facility not only generates clean energy, but also stores excess power that can be used when the sun isn’t shining, enhancing reliability and increasing the availability of clean power to the grid.

For more information on the project, visit clenera.com.