Belen City Council approves planned 395-acre solar array

BELEN — More solar panels coming to the Hub City means more benefits to the community.

The Belen City Council unanimously approved a special use overlay permit for a new solar array that is planned just south of Sun Ranch Solar on Rancho Cielo land, west of Interstate 25.

The new, proposed solar farm, Star Light Energy Center, will be a 100 megawatt solar facility, with a 100 megawatt, four-hour storage facility. In comparison, the adjacent Sky Ranch Solar facility is a 190 megawatt solar facility with a 50 megawatt, four-hour storage project.

Ashley Sgaliardich, project director for NextEra Energy Resources, the same company that brought in Sky Ranch Solar, told the council at a special workshop Monday that NextEra Energy is the largest generator of renewable energy in the U.S., and have been in New Mexico for 25 years.

The special use overlay permit, which is good for the next 40 years, is one the first official steps in the process to get the project started. The company has been before the city’s planning and zoning commission, including at a public workshop in February and public hearings in March and April.

“We are planning on starting construction by the end of 2025, and hope to have the project online by December 2026,” Sgaliardich told the council. “This will be half of the solar footprint of Sky Ranch. This would be only 395 acres of the project area.

“It’s important that we selected this site because it’s most suitable for solar, and it’s close proximity to PNM.”

Jim Foster, owner of Rancho Cielo, told the council he had “mothballed” developing the area 10-12 years ago and when he initially got the call from a solar developer, he was a bit apprehensive.

“I’m sitting at my house and we have 6,000 acres, and I didn’t want to have a small 500 acre solar farm,” Foster said. “Now, it’s 1,000 acres. We’re here for the long term, and many years of more work. It’s fair to say we’ve received plenty of inquires from data centers for this property.”

Foster said he hopes this is just the beginning, and hopes the solar farms will attract more job-focused businesses to the area.

“We’re in the desert and everything we’re talking about doesn’t require any water,” he said, “which is fantastic because we sold our water rights a long time ago. (We thought) we didn’t need them just waiting around.”

Sgaliardich reminded the council there is 3,000 acres remaining to develop in the future. She also said the roadways they will be building for the project will be maintained and will remain after they leave.

She also said they are working with BNSF Railroad in acquiring a temporary construction access easement permit so they can utilize their access to the south.

Sgaliardich said the project will bring 250 jobs at the hight of construction, and will figure out ways to hire locally-qualified people.

Lilly Hendrickson, lead project manager for NextEra Energy Resources, said they are committed to work with the city to make sure they are hiring locals, including meeting with the city’s HR department and participating in local job fairs.

According to the presentation presented to the council and public, NextEra estimates the industrial revenue bond, which has yet to be approved, would be paid to the city and Belen Consolidated Schools over the next 30 years for a total of $19,800,000, or $660,000 every year. Sixty-five percent will go to the city, and 34 percent will be collected by the school district.

They also estimate the local economic impact on housing and restaurant revenue to be about $16,900,000, and $2 million they would pay for city water.

Maggie Vettel, the community engagement manager, said they were proud to invest in the city of Belen, and will pledge a total of $750,000 as part of a community benefits agreement, which the city could use for anything they wanted.

Some of the company’s suggestions for the money included improvements for city parks, some f0 the council suggested it be used for infrastructure needs. Vettel said the city would receive half $375,000 when construction begins and the other half when construction is complete in December 2026.

The company is also pledging $15,000 in community support, such as providing backpacks to schools and sponsoring a golf tournament to raise money for the chamber of commerce.

According to Sgaliardich, if the council didn’t approve the solar farm, the city would only see about $33,700 in property taxes each year without development, compared to $660,000 each year the city and school district would be entitled to under the IRB.

Before voting, Councilor Rudy Espinoza thanked Sgaliardich and the other 20 or so members of the team who attended Monday’s meeting, for their work.

“I just want to thank you all for hearing our voices and understanding our commitment to the city,” Espinoza said.

“I am grateful for all the information you’ve provided,” said Mayor Robert Noblin. “I think, for a long time, at least in my perspective, that Belen has looked for ways to grow. We always fell a little short. Beyond this decision, I look to the creativity of the council to benefit the community. At the end of the day, thank you and your team for coming to the table. I appreciate that.

Councilor Steve Holdman said he had attended all the public hearings and said he was probably the “biggest negative detractor” of this project, and was planning on voting no.

“But the more I thought about it, I changed my mind,” Holdman said. “If this passes and we don’t use the money to move the needle to improve the infrastructure, then 40 years from now, they’ll be asking what did we get from it.

“I do want to thank NextEra for listening to the city.”

Holdman said he was disappointed that no one from the public spoke up for or against the project at any of the public hearings.