SPS3 Lea
Lea County, New Mexico · EIA plant ID 57738 · Operator: SunE SPS3, LLC
Nameplate10MWSummer 10 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation23GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor26%solar units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online2011
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), solar units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 6.7% | — |
| 2012 | 23.4 | 26.7% | — |
| 2013 | 22.9 | 26.1% | — |
| 2014 | 22.3 | 25.5% | — |
| 2015 | 20.6 | 23.5% | — |
| 2016 | 11.5 | 13.1% | — |
| 2017 | 16 | 18.3% | — |
| 2018 | 18.9 | 21.6% | — |
| 2019 | 18.2 | 20.8% | — |
| 2020 | 21.5 | 24.5% | — |
| 2021 | 20.9 | 23.9% | — |
| 2022 | 20.2 | 23.1% | — |
| 2023 | 23 | 26.3% | — |
| 2024 | 23 | 26.2% | — |
| 2025 | 22.7 | 25.9% | — |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | PV | 10 | 10 | Nov 2011 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: SunE SPS3, LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| SunE SPS3, LLC | 100.0% | 10 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| SPS4 Monument | 10 MW | 23.7 km |
| Cunningham | 444 MW | 27.2 km |
| Maddox | 212 MW | 27.3 km |
| Hobbs Generating Station | 682 MW | 28.8 km |
| AC Ranch II | — | 29.5 km |
| AC Ranch I | — | 29.5 km |