Ørsted Starts 200 MW New Mexico Solar Project

Ørsted has started construction on Blackwater Solar, a 200 MW project in Roosevelt County that will become the company’s first development in New Mexico. The project is expected to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of more than 56,000 homes annually within the Southwest Power Pool and reach commercial operations in late 2027. Ørsted is also contributing $100,000 to restore a nearby wetland and expects the project to generate nearly $18 million in property tax revenue over its operating life.

 

Blackwater Is Being Built Around Rising Regional Power Demand

 

Blackwater Solar is backed by a long-term power purchase agreement designed to support growing industrial electricity demand in New Mexico. The project is located between Portales and Clovis and will add new utility-scale solar generation to the Southwest Power Pool region.

Ørsted has also sourced solar panels for the project from First Solar, bringing a domestic manufacturing element into the project’s supply chain. That adds another layer to the development beyond generation capacity, linking the project to US-based equipment sourcing as well as long-term power demand.

 

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The Wetland Investment Adds a Local Conservation Component

 

Alongside construction, Ørsted is providing $100,000 to Playa Lakes Joint Venture to restore an 8.8-acre playa near Melrose, New Mexico. Playas are seasonal wetlands that support local wildlife and water resources, and eastern New Mexico is home to more than 2,100 of them.

The partnership builds on earlier work between Ørsted and PLJV in West Texas, where the company said its support helped restore more than 700 acres of playa habitat across five counties. In New Mexico, the smaller restoration project connects the solar development with a targeted biodiversity and water-resource initiative near the project area.

 

The Project Also Carries a Local Revenue Case

 

Ørsted expects Blackwater Solar to contribute nearly $18 million in property tax revenue to Roosevelt County over the project’s operating life. Those revenues are expected to support local schools, infrastructure, first responders and other public services.

That local revenue stream is an important part of how the company is framing the project’s value to the surrounding community. The project’s case is therefore not limited to electricity generation, with Ørsted also pointing to tax contributions, domestic manufacturing and conservation spending as part of the wider local impact.

 

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Late 2027 Will Be the First Test of Delivery

 

Blackwater Solar is expected to begin commercial operations in late 2027. Reaching that milestone will determine whether Ørsted can deliver its first New Mexico project on schedule while meeting the long-term electricity demand covered by the power purchase agreement.

The project will also provide an early indication of how Ørsted combines large-scale solar development with local environmental commitments in the state. The more meaningful measure will be whether the generation, tax and conservation benefits outlined at construction stage are delivered over the project’s operating life.