Construction underway on Cimarron Solar facility

Officials from Tri-State, Southern Company, Turner Renewable Energy and First Solar gathered on June 9 for a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark construction of the Cimarron Solar facility in northern New Mexico’s Colfax County.

Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy acquired the 30-megawatt project in March, the first such acquisition to result from the partnership forged in January by Southern Company and Ted Turner in January to develop renewable energy resources, with the initial focus on large-scale solar photovoltaic plants in the Southwest.

The Cimarron Solar project will be among the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic plants when it begins commercial operation at the end of the year.  The electricity generated at the facility, which will supply power equivalent to meet the needs of approximately 9,000 homes, will be delivered to electric cooperative members of Tri-State, which has a 25-year agreement to purchase the facility’s energy.

“Tri-State is committed to renewable energy in our resource planning that brings value to our member cooperatives across the four states we serve,” said Tri-State executive vice president and general manager Ken Anderson.  “The Cimarron Solar project is a significant venture for Tri-State that meets several objectives identified by our board of directors.  It further diversifies our generation mix, it assists us in addressing carbon emissions and it helps meet our member co-ops’ renewable energy requirements.”

The Cimarron Solar facility is adjacent to Turner’s Vermejo Park Ranch between Springer and Cimarron, New Mexico - within the service territory of Tri-State member system Springer Electric Cooperative.  First Solar developed the project and is the contractor for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operation and maintenance for the facility. 

“The Cimarron Solar facility exemplifies the combination of technology, manufacturing, project development and engineering, procurement and construction expertise that enables First Solar to be a leader in sustainable energy development,” said Jim Lamon, First Solar senior vice president of engineering, procurement and construction.

With construction now in full swing, completion and commercial operation of the project is expected by year end 2010.  The facility will consist of approximately 500,000 2'x 4' photovoltaic modules manufactured with First Solar's patented thin film semiconductor technology.  The June 9 ceremony marked the beginning of installation of the solar panels.  More information can be found at http://www.tristategt.org/greenpower/cimarron.cfm.

 

Updated: June 10, 2010