New Mexico Land Office taking bids to develop state's largest solar power plant

The State Land Office is accepting bids from companies interested in developing what would be New Mexico's largest solar power plant.

Land Commissioner Ray Powell wants to lease four square miles of state trust land in southern New Mexico for the development of a 150-megawatt solar plant.

Powell says the plant would be three times bigger than the state's largest existing plant. It would be capable of producing enough electricity to power more than 54,000 average homes.

The Land Office began advertising for bids last Friday. Qualified bidders will compete for the lease during a Jan. 5 public auction at the Otero County courthouse in Alamogordo.

The agency is also accepting bids for another solar project on trust land in Dona Ana County that would cover one square mile.