“The expansion of the Hondale Substation will allow for capacity to incorporate more community solar projects,” Chris Brice, Luna County Manager, told the Headlight. The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department announced July 22 that Luna County will receive $9,171,966 as part of the department’s Grid Modernization Program. The Luna County project will fund upgrades at the Hondale Substation in Deming, an existing 115/13.8-kilovolt electrical substation that serves the area through two distribution feeders. County officials said the facility currently relies on a 14-MVA transformer, and already supports a 10 MVA utility- scale photovoltaic solar installation. According to project information provided by Luna County, studies conducted for New Mexico’s Community Solar Program determined that the existing infrastructure has limited remaining capacity to connect additional solar generation.