Feasibility Studies to RE-Power Communities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's RE-Powering America's Land initiative encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mine sites when it is aligned with the community's vision for the site. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are collaborating on a project to evaluate the feasibility of siting renewable energy production on potentially contaminated sites. This effort pairs EPA's expertise on contaminated sites with NREL's expertise in renewable energy. The feasibility studies will provide site owners and communities with a realistic and achievable plan for putting renewable energy on a given site.

Site Description
The Chino Mine is located near the town of Hurley in Grant County, New Mexico, about 12 miles east of Silver City. The active, 9,000-acre mine is one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world. The Hurley smelter was completed in 1939 and modernized in 1984. The smelter operated until 2003 and was decommissioned
in 2007. A major portion of the smelter was reclaimed by 2007 and is subject to monitoring requirements to ensure reclamation success. Parts of the smelter residuals (slag) and the original tailing point adjacent to the smelter site are scheduled to be reclaimed by 2014. The reclaimed Smelter Site covers about 25 acres and the older tailing dams cover about 1,920 acres. The area includes pipelines, roads, monitor wells and buildings, but most of the site is available for consideration of renewable energy potential.

Community Goals
In the midst of remediation activities, plans are evolving to bring renewable energy production to the area based on the abundant solar resource. Given the substantial energy consumption at the mine and increasing electricity costs, both industrial and residential stakeholders are interested in exploring renewables as a means of off-setting and stabilizing energy prices. In this vein, development plans for regional water distribution are investigating use of solar energy to power pumping stations. In addition to the potential cost savings, success in this regional project could also enhance regional sustainability and strengthen community ties.

Feasibility Study: Solar
EPA and NREL are collaborating to conduct a study on the potential for solar power generation on the Freeport McMoRan Chino Mine site. The feasibility study will evaluate the technical and economic opportunities and challenges at the site. It will:Provide a preliminary analysis of the viability of the site; Assess solar resource availability; Identify possible system size, design and location; and Review the economics of the proposed system.

Freeport McMoRan Chino Mine
Grant County Silver City, NM
Site Facts:
Site type: Mine site Renewable technology: Solar

The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.