Going Green

When our town fathers started calling Deming / Luna County the “Kingdom of the Sun,” little did they know how true it rings today. With our area having some of the best solar values in the United States, there has been, and continues to be, a high level of interest in locating renewable energy projects in Luna County.  Element Power, which is already operating a wind generation facility, is making plans to construct a 50-megawatt solar “sister” facility near their Macho Springs site. Sapphire Energy is in the process of constructing a bio-fuel facility west of Columbus.  Public Service Company of New Mexico completed a 5-megawatt photovoltaic field south of Deming last year.  The City is even investigating the feasibility of a solar array to supply energy to the wastewater treatment plant. Other renewable energy interests are in the process of securing land and water options for large utility scale renewable energy generation facilities.

While the area generates a lot of interest and a few projects are on the ground, we are like a fertile valley that has inferior farm-to-market roads. We can’t even hope to reach our potential until the transmission infrastructure improves.  There are two proposed transmission projects that could assist in improving the situation. Sun Zia proposes an alignment through the northern and central parts of the county and the Southline Project would run through the southern portion of the county. Either, or both, of these transmission projects would assist our area in reaching its renewable energy generation potential.

Economic Development is a very competitive arena. Our solar values seem to distinguish us and set us apart from the rest of the pack. We have something the multitudes of other communities don’t have and need to capitalize on our unique natural resources. The City of Deming will continue to promote and encourage the development of renewable energy projects in the region.  After all, we are the” Kingdom of the Sun.”

Email Mayor Andres Z. Silva at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it