SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / NM / De Baca

De Baca County, NM — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

36.2
Risk Grade
Good
Very small and declining rural county; Fort Sumner seat; Xcel Energy territory; flat Pecos River valley with abundant agricultural land; population of only ~1,748 with declining trend (-4.1%) creates strong economic development motivation; ranching community receptive to lease revenue; county commission highly supportive; minimal bureaucratic capacity but also minimal political opposition; B-grade reflects permissive environment and abundant land offset by very small county capacity and infrastructure distance
Assessment Snapshot
Population
1748
State Rank
#10
Compliance
30%
Trajectory
28

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
100 ft from property lines; 200 ft from occupied structures; per De Baca County Zoning Code
Zoning Mechanism
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) — De Baca County Commission
Acreage Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
None established
Size Restrictions
None established

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Supportive — very small declining rural county with strong economic development motivation; ranching community receptive to solar lease revenue; De Baca County Commission highly pro-development; almost no organized community opposition possible given tiny population; Xcel interconnection available
Basis for Assessment
De Baca County Commission; Fort Sumner community; Xcel Energy NM; WECC queue
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
De Baca County Commission (3 members) — debacaem.com

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
WECC / Xcel Energy (New Mexico Public Service)
Utilities
Xcel Energy (New Mexico Public Service)
State Permitting Process
County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use or special use permit (CUP/SUP) required for utility-scale solar (>1 MW); NM model solar ordinance framework available but adoption varies by county; decommissioning bond typically required; NM Solar Rights Act (1978, amended) protects residential solar access but does not preempt local large-project zoning
State Incentives
Federal ITC eligible; NM Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit (REPTC); NM Energy Transition Act (2019) zero-carbon mandate driving procurement; PNM and Xcel NM renewable procurement programs; NM Solar Market Development Tax Credit (residential); USDA REAP eligible for rural counties

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
None known
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
None known

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Last verified: 2026-04-02 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes