Spanish green energy company GA-Solar will set up a 300-MW solar photovoltaic power plant in eastern New Mexico.
The facility, which will cover 2,500 acres in Guadalupe County, will have an installed power capacity enough to supply electricity for 50,000 households, being thus one of the biggest PV solar plants worldwide.
GA-Solar’s parent company, Corporacion Gestamp, will spend $1 billion for implementing the project, which will be completed over the next four years. Jon Riberas, GA-Solar and Corporacion Gestamp CEO, declared that the construction would create 300 jobs, and the fully operational plant would have 75 full-time employees.
“Renewable energy and energy efficiency have steadily gained popularity in the U.S. and in New Mexico, in particular. GA-Solar is a leader in photovoltaic solar generation, with the depth and breadth of experience needed to grow the solar energy sector,” Riberas added.
“This is one of the most exciting projects that we have ever welcomed to New Mexico. We are honored that GA-Solar recognizes that the combination of unlimited sunshine and our hardworking labor pool are the only incentives they need to build their 300 MW solar array in Guadalupe County.” - Fred Mondragon, New Mexico Economic Development Secretary.
“I believe this unprecedented investment shows that New Mexico has not only become the center of the North American solar industry, but is ready to take its place as a global player in the production of renewable energy,” - Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico.
GA-Solar is a leading supplier of solar energy in Spain, Italy, India and the U.S.
Corporacion Gestamp is a $5 billion privately owned firm deeply involved in the steel, automobile component, storage and logistics European industry. It also produces steel towers for wind turbines, and it develops and runs wind and biomass facilities through its two subsidiaries, Gestamp Eolica and Gestamp Biothermal. It has over 14,000 employees across the world.
