![]() Plans for the construction of the Rancho Viejo Solar array project on the south side of Santa Fe remain very much up in the air as it works its way through the approval process. Proposed exactly one year ago by the Arlington, Virginia-based AES Corporation, the project, to be built on some 800 currently vacant acres of desert land, would be capable upon completion of providing 96 megawatts of solar generation, along with 48 megawatts of battery storage. That energy, in turn, according to the company, could power up to 30,000 homes. Founded in early 1981, AES is defined as a utility and power generation company, supplying power to residents and businesses in more than a dozen countries. One of the largest such companies of its kind, AES in 2022 saw revenues in excess of $12.6 billion. The project has met with some opposition from nearby neighbors expressing concerns about the large amount of water that will be required to sustain the facility, as well as the possibility of a fire caused by the heating up of lithium-ion cells. An online petition, which was established last summer and has so far received just under 1,000 signatures, contends that the proposed facility "poses undue risk and/or harm upon the public." The water usage factor is partly centered on what would be a need for up to 50 million gallons during the project's construction, as well as another 980,000 gallons, at the most, to yearly maintain the facility. In order to become reality, the project must first be reviewed and approved by members of the Santa Fe Planning Commission. An exact timeline for when work on the project will begin has not been announced. By Garry Boulard
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