Will Ebon Solar start construction on Mesa del Sol facility this year as it hoped for?

It seems likely Ebon Solar isn’t going to be able to begin construction before the end of the year on its massive Mesa del Sol facility as the company had hoped.

The company’s CEO, Judy Cai, told the Journal earlier this year Ebon wished for a groundbreaking in the fourth quarter of 2024. But with just a month left to go in the year, the company has decided to announce an updated launch timeline in 2025.

Ebon plans to provide an update on the company’s launch timeline in the new year, Cai said Tuesday in a statement to the Journal. She also said the company is announcing additional team members, too.

“Ebon’s planned solar manufacturing facility is a large and complex project,” Cai said. “Our team continues the project planning process focused on achieving our business goals.”

One factor contributing to holdups large companies like Ebon have pointed to is site readiness, specifically how long it can take to get utility infrastructure set up.

The Public Service Company of New Mexico is highly confident electricity setup won’t be a delaying factor in the project, according to PNM Economic Development Manager Elisha Saavedra-Torres.

Considering the huge electricity demand nationwide, companies are trying to speed up their processes, she said.

“And I think that that has also sort of posed a challenge, not just to the utilities, but to the companies themselves when it comes time for them to meet their stated timelines and load expectations,” she said.

She told the Journal the exact electrical need for Ebon’s project is still up in the air, though it’s large. PNM has seen “fairly large fluctuations” in energy estimates from Ebon, she said, though a nondisclosure agreement between the companies prohibits her from sharing the estimates.

“Even after the (timeline) announcement took place, the size of the electric requirement changed significantly — and so the timelines have changed. … We'll have a really good understanding of what we need to do when we get their final load,” Saavedra-Torres said.