If your city/county electrical inspection already passed but El Paso Electric (EPE) failed its solar field inspection, those are two different milestones.

EPE’s current New Mexico interconnection process says its field inspection occurs after the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) completes final electrical inspection. EPE then checks whether the installed facility conforms to the approved interconnection agreement and its attachments before installing the required metering and authorizing operation.

So the first question is not “Did the city permit fail?” It is:

What part of the installed metering/interconnection layout does EPE say does not match its approved requirements or project documents?

See EPE’s current New Mexico Interconnection Process for Facilities Up to 25 kW.

EPE specifically screens the meter/service location

EPE’s current DG interconnection application asks applicants whether the new REC service and meter will be next to the main service and meter, how far the proposed service is from EPE facilities, whether the meter/service will move, and whether a variance is needed.

That confirms meter/service location is part of the current interconnection review. See the current EPE DG Interconnection Application.

EPE’s New Mexico interconnection page also directs applicants to its current REC Meter Can Requirements, one-line requirements and technical requirements.

If an inspection note says the REC meter is a long distance from the revenue/net meter, treat that as an EPE metering/interconnection correction until EPE tells you otherwise in writing.

Do not turn a forum distance into an official rule

GridPermit can confirm that EPE reviews the REC/main-service meter relationship and that its published one-line materials show close-proximity layouts.

EPE also still hosts an older small-system checklist and sample drawings with specific 5-foot placement callouts. Because those materials predate the current 2026 application, do not assume the historic 5-foot number is the controlling requirement for a specific 2026 New Mexico project without EPE confirming the current governing document.

The field-inspection report or EPE reviewer should identify the exact current requirement being applied.

What to collect before anyone moves equipment

Do not start by paying for relocation or rewiring. First obtain:

1. EPE’s written field-inspection failure/correction notice.
2. The EPE-approved one-line diagram and site diagram submitted with the interconnection application.
3. The AHJ-approved permit drawings and final inspection record.
4. Photos/measurements showing the actual as-built meter, service, disconnect and REC-meter locations.
5. The date EPE approved the design and the date the field inspection was requested/performed.

Then compare approved representation vs as-built condition.

Ask EPE or the submitting contractor, in writing:

• Which current EPE requirement does the field condition violate?
• Does EPE require a revised meter location, a variance, a revised one-line/site diagram, or another approved configuration?
• Does the correction require another AHJ permit revision/final inspection before EPE reinspection?
• Who must submit the revised interconnection documents?
• What date can the EPE reinspection be requested after the correction is accepted?

EPE’s current process says the purpose of its field inspection is to verify that construction conforms to the interconnection agreement and attachments. That makes the approved drawings a critical comparison point.

Who is responsible for the correction?

GridPermit cannot determine contractual responsibility from an inspection note alone.

If the installed layout differs from the approved EPE/AHJ drawings, the installer/designer should explain why and identify the correction path. If the approved drawings accurately showed the installed layout and EPE later rejects it, ask EPE to cite the current requirement and identify the revision/variance process before authorizing costly work.

Responsibility for design errors, installation changes, permit revisions or relocation costs depends on the contract and the project record.

Do not energize before EPE authorization

EPE’s current New Mexico process explicitly says not to energize the system until EPE has completed its field inspection and replaced the existing meter with a bi-directional meter.

GridPermit is an independent educational permitting/interconnection guide, not EPE, the AHJ, an engineer or electrical contractor. First-party EPE sources above were reviewed September 9, 2026. The written correction for the specific project controls the next action.