El Paso Electric (“EPE”) is seeking to pre-qualify interested parties capable of providing renewable energy services (including design, installation, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and ownership) of a 20 MW solar photovoltaic project that is expected to be located within the Fort Bliss military reservation in El Paso, Texas. EPE published a Request for Statement of Qualifications (“SOQ”), along with information letter, on the EPE website indicating that EPE expects to issue a request for proposals (“RFP”) at a later date to those parties that have pre-qualified. Through the RFP, EPE expects to negotiate a power purchase agreement (“PPA”) with a term of up to 25 years. On the back-end, EPE would expects to enter into a multi-year agreement for the term of the PPA with the U.S. Army to serve Fort Bliss. For those who have been paying close attention to the regulatory issues facing the military’s procurement of renewable energy, this arrangement may become more and more popular as a fix for state-law limitations relating to utility exclusive service territories.

SOQ responses are due no later than 4:00 p.m. MDT on August 8, 2012!