Bernalillo County Approves $1.2B DESRI Solar-Storage Project
The Bernalillo County Commission has approved $1.2 billion in industrial revenue bonds for a solar energy and battery storage project on Albuquerque’s West Side, the Albuquerque Journal reports. New York-based renewable energy developer DESRI plans roughly 400 megawatts of solar panels and 400 megawatts of battery storage on about 3,000 acres in the Estrella area, west of Atrisco Vista Boulevard and north of Interstate 40.
Construction on the project’s first phase is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, built in two phases, with operations scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2028. The bond package is on par with DESRI’s expected private investment and gives the company roughly a 70% abatement on county personal property and gross receipts taxes; it does not obligate the county or taxpayers to pay that amount. DESRI will separately contribute up to $2.9 million in community benefits over five years, with community benefit terms for the second phase still to be determined.
The state Public Regulation Commission has already approved a permit for an 11-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line to connect the project to the grid. The project will sell power to a utility purchaser, potentially Public Service Company of New Mexico, though no deal has been finalized. DESRI has built more than 500 megawatts of solar and battery projects in New Mexico to date, including a recent 270 MW solar/180 MW storage partnership with Tierra Adentro Growth Capital in the northwest part of the state.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- The county projects 1,622 direct and indirect construction jobs from the build-out, with six full-time operations jobs at a median $101,920 once running, a solid multi-year bid opportunity for New Mexico civil, electrical and E&I subs.
- The 11-mile, 345-kV transmission interconnection is a distinct scope from the solar/storage site work itself. Transmission-line contractors should track this separately from the generation-site bid packages.
- Phase 1 construction starts Q4 2026, giving subs a concrete near-term bid window; Phase 2 timing and community-benefit terms remain open, worth monitoring for a second wave of work in late 2027.
- DESRI’s in-state track record (500+ MW built, including the northwest New Mexico projects with Tierra Adentro) suggests an established local subcontractor network already exists — new entrants should look for teaming opportunities rather than assuming greenfield bidding.
