Santa Fe County panel approves two large solar-plus-battery CUPs, adds reclaimed-water requirement for construction

The Santa Fe County Planning Commission on April 17 approved two consolidated conditional-use permits for a large commercial solar and battery energy storage project in southeastern county, imposing staff-recommended conditions and adding one requirement that all water used for construction dust control be reclaimed water.

The project — presented by Glo Energy LLC/Lineia Energy as a two-phase commercial solar facility with associated battery energy storage (cases 255180 and 255190) — would place arrays and storage systems on privately owned parcels accessed from NM41 in Commission District 3. Applicant testimony described Phase 1 as about 199 megawatts of solar with 199 megawatts of storage across roughly 1,932 acres and Phase 2 as about 150 MW plus 150 MW on roughly 960 acres; the applicant estimated construction would begin in late 2027 with commercial operation by 2029.

Staff and applicant materials provided to the commission included an environmental impact report, biological and cultural surveys, geotechnical work, a noise analysis, a hazard-mitigation analysis and a decommissioning plan. County staff concluded the application met the Sustainable Land Development Code (SLDC) conditional-use criteria subject to the proposed conditions of approval and third-party review. The commission’s approval carries those conditions and the additional reclaimed-water requirement for construction dust suppression.

Why it mattered

County staff and the applicant framed the project as consistent with Santa Fe County’s Sustainable Growth Management Plan and state renewable-energy policy, pointing to transmission access on PNM lines and the role of battery storage in grid reliability. Supporters who spoke during the public hearing said the project would deliver jobs, tax revenue and lower system emissions. Opponents and several commissioners pressed the applicant on groundwater use,…