Ørsted solar project to also help restore New Mexico wetlands

Construction has begun on Blackwater Solar, a 200-megawatt solar project in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, between Portales and Clovis. The project, built by developer Ørsted using First Solar panels, will feed power into the Southwest Power Pool grid territory and is expected to be up and running by late 2027. This is Ørsted's first investment in New Mexico.

Alongside the project, Ørsted is putting $100,000 toward restoring wetlands near Melrose, New Mexico, through a partnership with the nonprofit Playa Lakes Joint Venture. The money will help conserve an 8.8-acre playa, a shallow wetland that provides water and habitat for local wildlife. Eastern New Mexico has more than 2,100 of these playas, and Ørsted has done similar restoration work before, helping restore over 700 acres of playa habitat across five counties in West Texas.

This is a large-scale solar farm project, not a residential program, so it does not offer homeowners rebates or direct incentives. But it is a sign of continued utility-scale solar development in New Mexico, which can affect regional electricity supply and pricing over time. If you live near Roosevelt County, this is the kind of project that may show up in local news or affect land near you, but it does not change what programs or rebates are available for home energy upgrades.