Construction has begun on the Cimarron Solar Project facility, which will be among the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic plants when it is completed later this fall. Tri-State Generation and Transmission, power supplier for 18 of Colorado’s electric cooperatives, has a 25-year agreement to purchase the facility’s energy.
Officials from Tri-State, Southern Company, Turner Renewable Energy and First Solar gathered earlier this summer for a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark construction of the 30-megawatt solar facility in northern New Mexico’s Colfax County.

 The electricity generated at the facility, which will supply power equivalent to meet the needs of approximately 9,000 homes, will be delivered to electric cooperative members of Tri-State, which serves co-ops in Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska and Wyoming.

 “Tri-State is committed to renewable energy in our resource planning that brings value to our member cooperatives across the four states we serve,” said Tri-State executive vice president and general manager Ken Anderson. “The Cimarron Solar project is a significant venture for Tri-State that meets several objectives identified by our board of directors. It further diversifies our generation mix, it assists us in addressing carbon emissions and it helps meet our member co-ops’ renewable energy requirements.”

 The Cimarron Solar facility is adjacent to billionaire businessman Ted Turner’s Vermejo Park Ranch between Springer and Cimarron, New Mexico — within the service territory of Tri-State member system Springer Electric Cooperative. First Solar developed the project and is the contractor for engineering, procurement and construction, and operation and maintenance for the facility.

 “The Cimarron Solar facility exemplifies the combination of technology, manufacturing, project development and engineering, procurement and construction expertise that enables First Solar to be a leader in sustainable energy development,” said Jim Lamon, First Solar senior vice president of engineering, procurement and construction.

With construction now in full swing, completion and commercial operation of the project is expected by the end of 2010. The facility will consist of approximately 500,000 2-foot by 4-foot photovoltaic modules manufactured with First Solar’s patented thin film semiconductor technology. The summer ceremony marked the beginning of installation of the solar panels.

Anyone interested in more information on the project will find it at http://www.tristategt.org/greenpower/cimarron.cfm.