Operations start on first phase of 608MW PV plant in Brazil

The Enel Group’s Brazilian renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power Brasil Participações Ltda. (EGPB) has started operations of the 475 MW section of 608 MW São Gonçalo solar PV plant, located in São Gonçalo do Gurguéia, in Brazil’s northeastern state of Piauí.

The connection to the grid of São Gonçalo, which is South America’s largest PV facility, took place a year ahead of the deadline set by the rules of the 2017 A-4 public tender organized by the Brazilian federal government through the country’s energy regulator Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL). The construction of the 475 MW section of the solar plant involved an investment of around BRL1.4 billion (US$337.8 million).

São Gonçalo is Enel’s first plant in Brazil to use bifacial solar modules that capture solar energy from both sides of the panel, with an expected increase in power generation of up to 18%. Once fully up and running, the 475 MW section of the plant will be able to generate over 1,200 GWh per year while avoiding the emission of over 600,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Out of 475 MW of installed capacity, 265 MW are supported by 20-year power supply contracts with a pool of distribution companies operating in the country’s regulated market. The remaining 210 MW are expected to generate energy for the free market.

Last August, Enel has started the construction of the 133 MW extension of the São Gonçalo solar park, for which Enel is investing around BRL422 million (US$101.8 million) and is supported by power supply contracts negotiated with corporate customers in the Brazilian free energy market. The expansion, which brings the overall capacity of São Gonçalo to 608 MW, is due to start operations in 2020. Once fully operational, the entire 608 MW plant will be capable of generating more than 1,500 GWh annually, avoiding the emission of over 860,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.