Buena Vista Energy Center — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 66408
- Capacity
- 170 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Solar
- Technology
- Batteries, Solar Photovoltaic
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Otero, NM
- Operating Since
- 2023
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Buena Vista Energy Center, LLC
- Parent Company
- NextEra Energy
- Annual Generation
- 387,717 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 26.0%
- Balancing Authority
- El Paso Electric Company
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Buena Vista Energy Center
OperatingBESSSolarHybrid
Ranked #11 of 97 Solar plants in NM#437 of 7447 nationally
170 MW Batteries (50 MW) + Solar Photovoltaic (120 MW) operating in Otero, NM — El Paso Electric Company
EIAGEM
170 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Hybrid (2)
Technology
Batteries + Solar Photovoltaic
2023
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
32.0666, -106.2853
County
Otero, NM
Nearby Plants
- SunE EPE1 LLCSolar10 MW · 6.4 km
- Newman SolarSolar10.5 MW · 16.6 km
- NewmanNatural Gas1109.8 MW · 16.6 km
Ownership & Operator
Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Buena Vista Energy Center, LLC | NextEra Energy Inc [100%] | — |
| Owner(s) | Buena Vista Energy Center, LLC | NextEra Energy | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Buena Vista Energy Center is a 170 MW hybrid power plant located in Otero County, New Mexico. The facility, which began operating in 2023, combines solar photovoltaic generation with battery energy storage. It is owned by NextEra Energy and operated by Buena Vista Energy Center, LLC. The plant utilizes single-axis tracking for its solar panels and has a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 200 MWh and a duration of 4 hours, employing lithium-ion battery chemistry (LIB). Buena Vista Energy Center is interconnected within the El Paso Electric Company balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
The plant consists of two generators and primarily uses electricity as its fuel source, indicating the hybrid nature of the facility. In its most recent year of operation, the plant generated 387,717 MWh, achieving a capacity factor of 26.0%. Financial data indicates a power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $5.46 per MWh. Buena Vista Energy Center is ranked as the 11th largest power plant out of 15 in New Mexico and 355th out of 514 nationally.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
El Paso Electric Company
Grid Voltage
345 kV
Regulatory Status
NR
Entity Type
Independent Power Producer
Sector
IPP Non-CHP
Generation
22.8K MWh
Latest Month
387.7K MWh
Annual Generation
26.0%
Capacity Factor
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Electric Quarterly Reports, LBNL Utility-Scale SolarHIGH
$5.5/MWh
PPA Price
Buena Vista Energy Center, LLC
Contract Seller
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.
News & Articles (7)Beta
Industry·corporate
(Commentary) Solar Surge in the Desert: How Clean Energy Thrives in Otero County’s Red Heartland Despite Political Pushback
Irony economic forces trump out of touch politicians like John Block…
John Block (other)
2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News·3 months ago
Industry·earnings
NextEra Energy releases fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 financial results
The Buena Vista Energy Center in Chaparral, N.M., opened in 2023 and combines solar and battery storage. NextEra Energy releases...
NextEra Energy (other)
NextEra Energy Newsroom·2 years ago
Grid·capacity addition
US battery storage capacity increased by 52% year over year, to 10.8 GW by the end of Q1
The 190MW/380MWh Cunningham facility being commissioned next year will be the largest operating battery energy storage project on the Texas grid.
Utility Dive·2 years ago
Industry·corporate
Completion of New Mexico's largest solar plant adds to EP Electric's growing solar portfolio
NextEra Energy's $187M solar plant near Chaparral, New Mexico will provide enough power for 60000 EPE customer homes.
NextEra Energy (developer)EPE (other)
El Paso Times·2 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 7 articles