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Luna County approves Escondido Solar special-use permit; company projects roughly $11.5M per 100 MW in property taxes
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a special-use permit for the Escondido Solar project after presentations and a public hearing; the developer estimated 100'500 MW of photovoltaics with battery storage, an estimated $11.5 million in property taxes per 100 MW over the project life, and roughly 250'400 temporary construction jobs.
The Luna County Board of County Commissioners approved a special-use permit for the Escondido Solar utility-scale project after a presentation by the developer and a public hearing.
Greg Laubensleger of UE Americas summarized the proposal, saying the company "are proposing 100 to 500 megawatts of photovoltaics, including battery storage." He told the board the project would sit near Deming on a privately owned site accessible from I-10 and estimated economic benefits would include "a minimum of $11,500,000 in property taxes over the life of the project" for a 100-megawatt installation and as much as about $56 million if built at 500 megawatts. Laubensleger said the team expects the project likely to be about 300 megawatts and projected roughly "250 to 400 temporary construction jobs" over the 18'24 month build and one permanent onsite employee thereafter.
The developer presented planning materials and mitigation measures, including a road-use agreement, a dust mitigation plan, a decommissioning plan, a noxious-weed management plan and a revegetation plan; Laubensleger said the project team worked with the Luna County Extension Office and state and federal agencies on environmental and access issues. He identified David Jones as the landowner and said panels might allow agrivoltaics such as sheep grazing beneath arrays.
Commissioners and staff discussed jurisdictional and permitting steps: the presenter confirmed the site is largely private land with a small section where Cal Springs Road crosses state land and BLM right-of-way that will require separate agency approvals. After the presentation the board opened a public hearing and administered oaths to speakers; no registered public speakers opposed the permit during the hearing.
Following brief discussion among commissioners, a motion to approve the special-use permit was made and seconded and the board voted in favor. Chair Chandler, Commissioner Harvey and Commissioner Trejo all voted yes; the chair declared the permit approved and closed the hearing.
Next steps: the applicant will need to secure any required approvals from state land and BLM for the small right-of-way crossing and complete conditions set forth in the county'approved permit before construction begins.
Representatives and attribution: "We are proposing 100 to 500 megawatts of photovoltaics, including battery storage," Greg Laubensleger told the board during the presentation. The board voted to approve the application at the close of the public hearing. The motion and vote counts were recorded in the meeting minutes.
