Southern Power, Turner Renewable acquire Macho Springs solar power plant

Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy have acquired the 50MW AC Macho Springs solar power plant.

Under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), El Paso Electric will purchase all energy generated by the power plant located on approximately 600 acres of State Trust land near Deming, New Mexico.

The Southern Power-Turner Renewable Energy partnership’s seventh solar project, which will operate on a commercial lease from the State Land Office, is expected to generate enough clean energy to power approximately 18,000 homes in El Paso Electric’s service territory.

First Solar business development senior vice president Tim Rebhorn said, “We are pleased to provide another best-in-class PV power plant to the partnership’s growing renewable energy portfolio.”

This project will displace more than 40,000 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of taking 7,500 cars off the road, and will displace more than 340,000 metric tons of water consumption annually in southern New Mexico and west Texas.

Turner Renewable Energy owner Ted Turner said, “The acquisition of the Macho Springs facility is another positive step in advancing the development of solar technologies.”

In 2010, Renewable Energy and Southern Company formed a strategic alliance for development of renewable energy projects in the US while primarily focusing on developing and investing in large-scale solar PV projects in the Southwest, where solar resources are most available.