Buena Vista Energy Center
Solar power plant · Otero County, New Mexico
Nameplate capacity
170 MW
Rank in New Mexico
#33
of 169 plants
In service since
2023
June 2023
Details
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Operator
- Buena Vista Energy Center, LLC
- County
- Otero County
- Generating units
- 2
- Share of state capacity
- 0.95%
- Rank among solar plants in New Mexico
- #9 of 105
- EIA plant code
- 66408
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BVEC1 | Solar Photovoltaic | 120 MW | 120 MW | 2023 | Operating |
| BESS1 | Batteries | 50 MW | 50 MW | 2023 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in New Mexico
| Pyramid | Natural gas | 186 MW |
| Broadview Energy JN, LLC | Wind | 182 MW |
| Valencia Energy Facility | Natural gas | 160 MW |
| Reeves | Natural gas | 154 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 170 MW solar plant and a 170 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All New Mexico power plants · What New Mexico actually generates