Cunningham
Natural gas power plant in Lea County, New Mexico. 444.2 MW of nameplate capacity across 3 generators, operated by Southwestern Public Service Co.
Also known as Cunningham Station · EIA plant 2454
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 444.2 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 3 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- January 1965First generator online
- Operator
- Southwestern Public Service CoEIA operator ID 17718
- Grid
- SPPBalancing authority SWPP
- Price nodes
- 3 SPP nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Lea County, NM32.7131, −103.3533
- EIA plant ID
- 2454EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Cunningham produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
1.79 TWh
1,792,031 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
46.1%
2024: Not reported
January to July 2026
936 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
0.9–1.8
TWh a year. Low 2021, high 2025
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,453,157 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 1,380,118 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 1,215,956 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 1,058,279 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 1,234,256 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 1,405,552 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 1,392,802 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 1,397,085 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 1,457,622 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 884,913 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 830,629 | 18.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 1,133,928 | 24.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 1,040,784 | 22.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 1,001,273 | 22.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 1,054,420 | 23.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 937,891 | 20.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 1,340,850 | 29.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 877,677 | 19.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 1,156,142 | 27.8% | 11 of 12 |
| 2019 | 1,707,645 | 37.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 1,291,298 | 28.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 869,264 | 19.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 1,142,555 | 25.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 1,294,624 | 28.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 1,745,493 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 1,792,031 | 46.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 936,307 | 41.4% | 7 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free account · SPPEmissions
Free · EPA CAMPDCO₂, 2022
749,868
US short tons. 2021: 588,857
SO₂, 2022
4
US short tons
NOx, 2022
692
US short tons
CO₂ per MWh, calculated
0.66 t
About 1,313 lb per MWh
4 of 4 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2022 (121B, 122B, 123T, 124T), matched to EIA plant 2454 through the EPA–EIA crosswalk. The per-MWh rate is EPA CO₂ divided by EIA-923 net generation. The two reporting boundaries can differ.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
707
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
707
million gallons
Source
Wells
Ground, Fresh. Induced-draft tower
Watershed stress
Severe · 0.899
USGS SUI, HUC12 Town of Monument
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. Groundwater user; SUI describes surface water and is context only. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 190.4 | January 1965 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 126.9 | May 1998 |
| 4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 126.9 | May 1998 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists Southwestern Public Service Co as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
Generation potential vs reported
Monthly potential at seasonal net capability, next to EIA-923 output. Shows how much of the plant's capability was used.
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Power plants near Cunningham
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Questions about Cunningham
How much power does Cunningham produce?
Cunningham reported 1,792,031 MWh (1.79 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 46.1% capacity factor on 444.2 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 936 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is Cunningham?
Cunningham is in Lea County, New Mexico, at 32.7131, −103.3533. It is in the Southwest Power Pool balancing area (SWPP).
Who operates Cunningham?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Southwestern Public Service Co as the operator (EIA operator ID 17718). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Cunningham start operating?
Its first generator began operating in January 1965, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Cunningham?
Yes. InfraMap has SPP day-ahead and real-time prices at 3 price nodes linked to Cunningham, with the hub price and node-to-hub basis. Prices are free with an InfraMap account; pricing node names are part of InfraMap Pro.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- EPA CAMPD annual emissions through the EPA–EIA crosswalk, 1995 to 2025
- SPP day-ahead and real-time prices; node and hub assignments as of 2026-10-05
- EIA-923 cooling water 2024 and the USGS surface water supply and use index, Water years 2010-2020 (Oct 2009 to Sep 2020), mean of monthly values
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page