Sonora has become a test site for major solar energy projects in Mexico since the announcement last year that a massive new solar plant would be built near Rocky Point. Now, officials are planning additional facilities in the state.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says five more solar plants are in the works in Sonora.

Like the 1000-megawatt plant underway near Rocky Point, he says the additional facilities will be funded through joint public and private investments.

He says the plants are part of an effort to amp up the production of clean energy in Mexico — as well as for export to the United States. Earlier this month, he had announced that U.S. investors might contribute to such projects.

State Gov. Alfonso Durazo has said he wants Sonora to be a model for clean energy projects in Mexico. And says the massive Rocky Point facility is expected to be up and running by next year.