News Release

Jan. 18, 2013
Work Begins at PNM Manzano Solar Energy Center Site

Albuquerque: On Monday, Jan. 21, PNM will begin work at the future site of the PNM Manzano Solar Energy Center located opposite Valencia High School on Bonita Vista Boulevard in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

"We are excited to be breaking ground on our newest renewable energy resource. As we start our work and throughout this project, safety will be a priority. It will be important for our community to be safety conscious and stay away from this or any construction site," said Gary Barnard, PNM director of renewable energy development.

The Manzano center will feature 108,000 solar photovoltaic panels capable of producing enough energy to power approximately 2,500 average-sized homes when it comes online this November. Construction begins with ground preparation at the 60-acre site, work that should be complete by March. Panel installation begins this summer.

PNM solar centers feature panels mounted at a height of six feet that generate energy while the sun is shining. PNM built five solar facilities in 2011. This year, the company will build two new solar centers, the Manzano center and one near Tularosa, and expand two of its existing centers, including the PNM Los Lunas Solar Energy Center located in the Los Morros Business Park. Work on the Los Lunas center will begin in July.

In addition to nearly doubling the amount of solar capacity the company will own this year, PNM continues to lead the PNM Prosperity Energy Storage Project, the first grid-connected project in the nation designed to help utilities understand how to use batteries to store solar energy for later use.

Learn more at PNM.com/solar.

With headquarters in Albuquerque, PNM is the largest electricity provider in New Mexico, serving 500,000 customers in dozens of communities across the state. PNM is a subsidiary of PNM Resources, an energy holding company also headquartered in Albuquerque. For more information, visit PNM.com.