Solar and battery interconnection rules in New Mexico

Size bands and what each one obliges

The screens that decide it

• Within the 10 MW ceiling of this rule Limit 10000 kW.

  Above 10 MW the case specific rule at 17.9.569 applies instead of this one.

• Below the 250 kW insurance threshold Limit 250 kW.

  Above 250 kW rated capacity a utility may require proof of insurance with limits not exceeding $1,000,000. At or below 250 kW, insurance may only be required on a utility petition showing good cause.

• Aggregate export under 65 percent of the shared secondary transformer rating 65 percent of service transformer rating, a figure only the utility holds.

  New Mexico uses 65 percent of the transformer nameplate power rating on a shared secondary.

• Aggregate export under 100 percent of relevant minimum load 100 percent of line section minimum load, a figure only the utility holds.

  New Mexico retired the 15 percent of maximum load fallback on 31 December 2023. The test is now 100 percent of the relevant minimum load on the circuit, full stop, and minimum load means the lowest measured load regardless of time of day. Any tool still applying a 15 percent screen in New Mexico is using an expired rule.

Ask the utility this, before you sell it

1. What is the line voltage at this address, is this a mainline, and is the site within 2.5 miles of the substation? New Mexico fast track eligibility turns on all three.
2. What is the relevant minimum load on this circuit? The screen is 100 percent of it and only the utility holds the figure.
3. For a small utility, what consultant review costs will be charged above 10 kW? The rule permits recovery of reasonable consultant costs.

Worth knowing before you quote

New Mexico separates three quantities and a screening tool needs all of them: nameplate rating for tier eligibility, export capacity for the screens, and rated capacity as the AC figure at the point of common coupling. It also requires physical relabeling where a system is derated, by nameplate replacement or a supplemental adhesive derating tag. A non export facility pays $150 below 100 kW and $300 above it. The net metering tariff rule at 17.9.570 was not read, so any aggregate cap there is unknown.