Largest PV plant in Europe completed within a year
Iberdrola has completed the construction of the Núñez de Balboa project, the largest PV project in Europe in record time, in one year. The project recently obtained its commissioning permit from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. Red Eléctrica de España (REE), the national grid, has started energization tests. Based on these processes, the plant is forecast to start operations in the first quarter of 2020.
Núñez de Balboa has an installed capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and an investment of nearly EUR 300 million (US$ 335 million) . It extends over an area of some 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) straddling the municipalities of Usagre, Hinojosa del Valle and Bienvenida in the province of Badajoz. The plant features 1,430,000 solar panels, 115 inverters, and two substations.
Núñez de Balboa will generate clean energy to supply the needs of 250,000 people a year - equivalent to the populations of Cáceres and Badajoz combined - and will avoid the emission of 215,000 metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per year.
For the development of the project, Iberdrola received green financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO), Spain's state financial agency.
With long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in place, the 500 MW project will supply clean energy to major clients committed to sustainable consumption in the banking, telecommunications and retail sectors.
Country news
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December 31, 2019
Endesa acquires 1,037 MW PV capacity in Spain
Endesa, through its renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power España, and Prodiel have signed an agreement where Endesa acquires 100% of the capital of 13 companies that own 10 photovoltaic projects in Spain, worth EUR36 million (US$40.2 million).
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December 26, 2019
Iberdrola to develop 350 MW of solar capacity in Spain
Iberdrola began the procedures for the development of its first solar photovoltaic plants in the Spanish region of Castile and Leon. The total capacity of the projects will reach 350 MW.
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December 16, 2019
300 MW solar project in Spain receives investment
Last week the European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced that it invested EUR76.5 million (US$85 million) in one of the largest solar projects in Spain. The project, sponsored by Encavis AG and Solarcentury, involves the construction and operation of a 300 MWp photovoltaic solar plant in the Spanish region of Extremadura, more specifically in the municipality of Talayuela. The transaction is supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker Plan.
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October 23, 2019
Siemens Gamesa acquires 8.9GW of assets of Senvion Group
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has reached an agreement to acquire selected European assets of Senvion Group for EUR200 million (US$223 million).
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October 18, 2019
Solaria´s PV complex capacity in Spain increases to 626 MW
Solaria Energía y Medio Ambiente, SA (Solaria) has obtained an expansion approval for its Trillo Photovoltaic Complex, located in Guadalajara, in the Spanish region of Castile-La Mancha. Now the total power to be installed is extended up to 626 MW.
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