Cunningham — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 2454
- Capacity
- 444.2 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine, Natural Gas Steam Turbine
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Lea, NM
- Operating Since
- 1965
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Southwestern Public Service Co
- Parent Company
- Xcel Energy
- Annual Generation
- 1,792,031 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 46.1%
- Balancing Authority
- Southwest Power Pool
- ISO/RTO
- SPP
- NERC Region
- MRO
Cunningham
OperatingNatural GasHybrid
Ranked #4 of 20 Natural Gas plants in NM#520 of 2009 nationally
444.2 MW Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine (254 MW) + Natural Gas Steam Turbine (190 MW) operating in Lea, NM — Southwest Power Pool
EIAGEMWD
444.2 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Hybrid (2)
Technology
Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine + Natural Gas Steam Turbine
1965
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
32.7131, -103.3533
County
Lea, NM
Nearby Plants
- Hobbs Generating StationNatural Gas681.5 MW · 4.4 km
- MaddoxNatural Gas212 MW · 4.8 km
- SPS4 MonumentSolar10.1 MW · 5.9 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Southwestern Public Service Co | Southwestern Public Service | — |
| Owner(s) | Southwestern Public Service Co | Xcel Energy | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
About
The Cunningham power plant, located in Lea County, New Mexico, has a total capacity of 444.2 MW. The plant began operating in 1965 and is owned by Xcel Energy, with Southwestern Public Service Co. listed as the EIA operator. Cunningham utilizes natural gas as its primary fuel source, employing both natural gas-fired combustion turbine and natural gas steam turbine technologies. The facility consists of three generators and is classified as a hybrid plant.
Cunningham operates within the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) balancing authority and the broader MRO NERC region. In the most recent year of data, the plant generated 1,792,031 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 46.1%. Cunningham ranks as the 4th largest power plant out of 11 in New Mexico, and 522nd out of 945 nationally.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
MRO
Balancing Authority
Southwest Power Pool
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
141.4K MWh
Latest Month
1.8M MWh
Annual Generation
46.1%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Cunningham substation · 230 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
SPP
LMP Node
SPS.CUNNGHAM2
Pricing Hub
—
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
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