First 50 MW Of Jicarilla Solar Plant Set To Be Operational By Early 2022

New Mexico’s power grid is about to get a big green boost. On Wednesday, the president and councilmen from the Jicarilla Apache Nation and Mayor Tim Keller unveiled the progress of Solar Direct, a large 50-megawatt solar farm on the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Once the first phase is operational in early 2022, it is expected to power 16,000 homes.

The partnership is part of a long history of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe’s utilization of its energy resources. The tribe has benefited from oil and natural gas extraction for decades but is now looking at diversifying its energy portfolio and helping the state achieve a zero-emission energy source by 2045, this time through solar. The plant was anticipated to be operational by the end of 2021, but due to shipping delays on solar panels, the expected operation date has been pushed back to early 2022.

The Paper. spoke to Jicarilla Apache Nation Legislative Councilman Romaine Wood about the tribe’s investment in their energy exportation and the greater New Mexico economy. “One of the number one revenues for our tribe has been natural resources. It has always been oil and gas. We’ve been looking at other avenues and other revenues for our tribe, and solar seems to be huge. We have one of the largest PNM lines that run through our reservations,” Wood said.

“This first phase is the third largest solar project on any reservation in North America. But once said and done, we’ll be up with 250 MW, and that will be the largest solar project and battery storage for any tribe in North America,” Wood added.

Read more: https://abq.news/2021/10/first-50-mw-of-jicarilla-solar-plant-set-to-be-operational-by-early-2022/