ETX Mission MWs - DESRI and EPE Break Ground on 130 MW Carne Solar and Storage Project in NM
- Team ETX
- Mar 5, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), the renewable power arm of US investor D. E. Shaw, announced the commencement of construction on the Carne Solar and Storage Project — a 130 MWac solar facility paired with a 260 MWh battery energy storage system located in Luna County, New Mexico. The Carne Solar and Storage Project was originally developed by the ETX Upstream team during their tenured leadership of Galehead Development, including a pioneering Southwest market strategy, site selection powered by LandCommand®, and turnkey development from project conception through the late-stage sale of the project to DESRI.
The project will deliver power to El Paso Electric (EPE) under a 20-year power purchase agreement, and the Carne BESS will be the largest battery storage system in EPE's portfolio. Construction on Carne is being led by EPC firm SOLV Energy, which will also oversee operations and maintenance once the project achieves commercial operation, expected in 2025. The project represents DESRI's fourth utility-scale renewable energy facility in New Mexico and builds on its long-standing relationship with EPE.
"The Carne facility is dedicated 100% to serving our New Mexico customers and will be a critical resource in enabling EPE to meet the needs of customer demand and requirements of New Mexico's RPS goals. The battery storage component of the new facility will be the largest serving EPE customers and provide much-needed capacity and reliability." - James Schichtl, VP of Reg. Affairs, EPE
Carne is DESRI's most significant New Mexico investment to date and a strong proof point for utility-scale solar-plus-storage development in the Southwest — from early-stage origination and site control through regulatory approval and construction commencement.
Congratulations to the DESRI and El Paso Electric teams, their project partners, and the ETX Upstream/Galehead alumni that contributed to this project's development success!
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