Enlight Renewable Energy Completes Commissioning of Atrisco Solar & Energy Storage Project

Enlight Renewable Energy has announced the successful commissioning of its flagship Atrisco Solar & Energy Storage project near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The milestone follows the commercial operation date (COD) for the project’s Energy Storage component on November 27, 2024, finalizing the commissioning of the entire complex.

The Atrisco project, featuring 364 MW of solar generation and 1.2 GWh of energy storage capacity, achieved full COD for its solar component in October 2024. Meeting all financial close requirements reported on July 29, 2024, the construction financing was converted into a term loan on December 13, 2024, with tax equity proceeds also received. Efficiency in construction reduced the total project cost by $20 million to $809 million, with net costs after tax equity reduced to $397 million.

The project operates under a 20-year busbar power purchase agreement with the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), generating an estimated $51–55 million in revenue and $41–45 million in EBITDA during its first full year of operation.

As the largest project to date built jointly by Enlight and its U.S. subsidiary Clenera, Atrisco provides clean energy sufficient for the annual consumption of approximately 110,000 New Mexico households, underscoring the company’s commitment to advancing renewable energy infrastructure. “This project is a major milestone for Enlight and Clenera,” said Adam Pishl, Clenera’s CEO. “It is the largest battery storage facility in New Mexico and one of the largest in North America. We are grateful for our partnerships with PNM, our suppliers, and contractors. I look forward to more successful projects in the area.”

Ilan Goren, General Manager of Enlight US, commented, “Atrisco is an important project in Enlight’s portfolio, and we are pleased to start construction of Quail Ranch, which is an extension of Atrisco and will share the same interconnection infrastructure. Together, the two projects will create a larger complex comprised of 492 MW solar generation and 1.6 GWh of energy storage capacity. This represents another implementation of the ‘Connect and Expand’ strategy, where we seek to leverage existing grid connections with additional generation capacity.”