Nameplate capacity
212 MW
Rank in New Mexico
#25
of 169 plants
In service since
1963
January 1963
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Steam Turbine
- Operator
- Southwestern Public Service Co
- County
- Lea County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 1.18%
- Rank among natural gas plants in New Mexico
- #6 of 19
- EIA plant code
- 2446
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 114 MW | 117 MW | 1967 | Operating |
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 87 MW | 61 MW | 1976 | Operating |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 12 MW | 10 MW | 1963 | 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
| Milagro Solar I | Solar | 225 MW |
| Grady Wind Energy Center, LLC | Wind | 221 MW |
| New Mexico Wind Energy Center | Wind | 204 MW |
| Escalante (NM) | Solar | 200 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 212 MW solar plant and a 212 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