State eyeing new solar array in Doa Ana County

SANTA FE >> New Mexico State Land Commissioner Ray Powell announced Tuesday that bids will be taken for a commercial lease for developing a 50-megawatt solar array, which will be located on 640 acres of State Trust Land in Doa Ana County, about 6.4 miles west of Santa Teresa.

The utility-scale plant would be as large as the existing 50-megawatt Macho Springs solar plant in Luna County, which is also located on State Trust Land, according to a news release from Powell's office. Once complete, the proposed plant would generate enough clean energy to power more than 18,000 average New Mexico homes.

"This solar power project potentially could provide 300 jobs during the construction phase, which is a huge boost to New Mexico's ailing construction industry," Powell said. "Also, it will provide a constant stream of revenue for our public schools, universities, and hospitals and additional clean energy supplies."

Other potential benefits of the project to the local and regional economy include millions of dollars in direct and indirect economic benefits, as well as 10 to 20 permanent operations and maintenance jobs when the solar plant is completed. Additionally, bids for developing what will be the state's largest solar array, to be located on 2,770 acres of State Trust Land in Otero County about three The proposed utility scale plant would generate 150 megawatts of electricity which is three times as large as Macho Springs, the state's largest existing solar plant. The proposed plant would generate enough clean energy to power more than 54,000 average New Mexico homes.

"This solar project could provide up to a 1,000 jobs during the construction phase, which is a huge boost to New Mexico's ailing construction industry ... as well as 30 to 40 permanent operations and maintenance jobs when the solar plant is completed."

The advertisement for bids began on Oct. 10 and will run for a 10-week period, in which time interested bidders will need to submit applications in order to qualify to bid at the public auction. The auction for the development lease will be held on Jan. 5, 2015 at the Doa Ana County Courthouse and the Otero County Courthouse.

More information about the lease process can be found on the New Mexico State Land Office website at http://www.nmstatelands.org or by contacting Will Consuegra with the Commercial Resources Division in Santa Fe at 505-827-1252 or at wconsuegra@slo.state.nm.us

LAS CRUCES >> MountainView Regional Medical Center has reached a long-term agreement with Humana Inc. to provide in-network health care benefits to members of Humana's Medicare Advantage health plans.

The agreement will allow Humana members in-network benefit coverage to the comprehensive range of health care services provided at the 168-bed MountainView Regional Medical Center including inpatient and outpatient care, diagnostic imaging, and emergency, medical and surgical services.

The in-network coverage extends to members of Humana's Medicare Advantage Preferred Provider Organization and Private-Fee-for-Service health plans.

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State eyeing new solar array in Doa Ana County