New Mexico ? Utility officials announced plans Thursday to build a giant solar energy plant in the New Mexico desert in what is believed to be the largest such project in the nation.

The 92-megawatt solar thermal plant could produce enough electricity to power 74,000 homes, far exceeding the size of other solar plants in the United States. The largest solar thermal plant in operation now is about 70 megawatts, said Dave Knox, a spokesman for New Jersey-based NRG Energy, the company building and running the facility.

“This is larger than anything in existence in America so far today,” he said.

The plant was announced at a time when communities around the country are drawing up plans for solar and other alternative energy projects, especially with millions of dollars in stimulus money available.