EDF turns on 150-MW solar plus four-hour battery in New Mexico

• EDF brought its Milagro solar-plus-storage project online in New Mexico, pairing 150 MW of PV with a four-hour battery under contract to El Paso Electric.

EDF’s Milagro project in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, is now commercially operating, and it’s built for the grid we actually have: 150 MW of solar linked to a four-hour battery that reshapes energy to when people need it. With offtake contracted to El Paso Electric, Milagro provides a dependable evening block while supplying fast frequency and voltage support when the system wobbles.

The design follows the modern hybrid template. High-efficiency modules on trackers maximize daytime yield, while the battery absorbs surplus at noon and redeploys it from late afternoon into the night. A unified plant controller manages charging, discharging, and grid-support services, and co-location keeps round-trip losses and interconnection costs lower than standalone storage would allow. Grid-forming inverter capabilities and stringent fire-safety systems round out an engineering spec tuned to Southwestern operating conditions.

Why it matters goes beyond one node. The Southwest is a study in contrasts: abundant sun by day, steep ramps after sunset, and seasonal weather that can swing hydro and thermal availability. Hybrids like Milagro turn intermittent energy into a product—dispatchable, contractible, and financeable. For EPE, that means fewer price spikes, less reliance on peakers, and a clearer pathway to decarbonize while meeting rising demand from population growth and data-rich industries.

Community impacts are tangible. Construction brought local jobs and procurement; long-term O&M roles keep technical skills in the county. Environmental measures—managed groundcover, drainage controls, and habitat buffers—are baked into operating plans, with decommissioning provisions to restore the site at end of life.

Milagro also sets up optionality. As market rules evolve, the battery can toggle between energy shifting, capacity value, and ancillary services to maximize revenues without major hardware changes. For lenders and regulators, that flexibility is quickly becoming the hallmark of bankable clean power in the desert Southwest.