On Friday, Decemeber 6, the Taos County Planning and Zoning Commission approved Kit Carson Electric Cooperative’s (KCEC) storage facility plan, named Amalia II, which is approved for construction on Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association (RCCLA) land in early 2025.

The facility will house a solar array and battery energy storage system, which will add additional renewable resources to northern Taos County communities.

“It’s a great accomplishment for our members and communities as KCEC continues progressing its 100 percent renewable initiative,” a release states.

A unique aspect of the Amalia II renewable energy project was the novel partnership between KCEC and the Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association RCCLA.

The RCCLA membership is made up of local ranching, farming, and hunting families who own and manage the land in the Rio Costilla area. The RCCLA members are known as the “caretakers of the land,” and their mission is to sustain and grow the abundant wildlife population in the area.

Stakeholders coordinated jointly to ensure the facility would not impact the beauty of the land or wildlife migration.