MACHO SPRINGS POWER I
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 50 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Luna County
- Operator
- ELEMENT POWER US LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2011
- EIA plant ID
- 57947
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 130 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 29%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.5543, -107.5093
MACHO SPRINGS POWER I, a 50 MW Wind power plant in Luna County, New Mexico. Operated by ELEMENT POWER US LLC, commissioned 2011.
How MACHO SPRINGS POWER I compares
With 50 MW of capacity, MACHO SPRINGS POWER I ranks 25th among the 65 operating power plants Bywatts maps in New Mexico and 8th of the 12 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 4.7% of New Mexico's operating Wind capacity and 0.7% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 382nd-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2011, it is newer than 46% of the 63 operating New Mexico plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Luna County with 2 other operating plants, LUNA ENERGY FACILITY and MACHO SPRINGS.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 50 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 130 GWh in 2024 (a 29% capacity factor), about the same as in 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is MACHO SPRINGS (345 kV), about 1.5 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line, about 1.0 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 707 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is LUNA ENERGY FACILITY (650 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
MACHO SPRINGS POWER I is a 50 MW wind power plant in Luna County, NM, operated by ELEMENT POWER US LLC, commissioned in 2011. Luna County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.6 of 5 at the 14th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 76th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a wind plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Luna County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 3.6 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | 52.4 |
| Hail | Very Low | 31st | 2.2 of 5 | 0.24 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 21st | 1.9 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.21 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.06 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Luna 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 Luna 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.