CUNNINGHAM
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 519 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Lea County
- Operator
- SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1965
- EIA plant ID
- 2454
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 1,745 GWh
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.7135, -103.3544
CUNNINGHAM, a 519 MW Natural Gas power plant in Lea County, New Mexico. Operated by SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO, commissioned 1965.
How CUNNINGHAM compares
With 519 MW of capacity, CUNNINGHAM ranks 4th among the 65 operating power plants Bywatts maps in New Mexico and 3rd of the 16 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 13% of New Mexico's operating Natural Gas capacity and 7.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 321st-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1965, it is older than 88% of the 63 operating New Mexico plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO, runs 3 operating plants in New Mexico totaling 731 MW. It shares Lea County with 8 other operating plants, including HOBBS GENERATING STATION and MADDOX.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 444 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly natural gas fired combustion turbine technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 519 MW). Net generation was 1,745 GWh in 2024, up 53% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1965 and 1998.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by LEA COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, under 0.1 miles away. Another 6 operating power plants totaling 964 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is HOBBS GENERATING STATION (658 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CUNNINGHAM is a 519 MW natural gas power plant in Lea County, NM, operated by SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE CO, commissioned in 1965. Lea County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.2 of 5 at the 80th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 97th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Lea County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 2.4 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 81st | 4.2 of 5 | 6.4 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | 0.45 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | 1.0 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 47.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 36th | 2.4 of 5 | 1.3 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 19th | 1.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Lea County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Lea County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.