The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission has approved a new energy plan for PNM, the largest utility company in the state.

The renewable energy procurement plan’s goal is to install a total of 22 megawatts (MW) of solar power through various installations across the state. The project has been in the works since 2009 when PNM began negotiating with various land owners who own the land most suitable for the projects to be built on. In total, the plan is expected to include five facilities, which will, according to PNM, likely be built in Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Las Vegas, Deming and Alamogordo. The projects will contribute to meeting New Mexico’s goal of state electric utility companies getting at least ten percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2011.

The original plan — which called for the addition of 80 MW of solar power and 45 MW of utility-scale projects  – was rejected by the commission on the recommendation of a hearing examiner. PNM subsequently retooled the proposal to what it looks like today. In addition to the 22 MW of solar, the plan also includes a 500-kilowatt (kW) solar power and storage project that will be funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). PNM serves nearly half-a-million customers statewide.