Spanish Endesa's renewable company Enel Green Power Espana (EGPE) has started construction of the 84.7 MW Totana solar photovoltaic facility, the company's largest solar plant in Spain, according to a statement from Italy’s Enel Group which owns 70.1 percent of Endesa.
Located in the region of Murcia, the farm is expected to start operation in the third quarter of 2019 and, once fully operational will be able to generate 150 GWh annually, Enel said in a press release on Thursday.
The new solar project will involve an overall investment of approximately €59 million, and will be composed of 248,000 photovoltaic modules, according to the statement.
The farm will prevent the annual emission of around 105,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it said.
Totana is the first of seven solar projects, for a total capacity of 339 MW, which were awarded to Enel Green Power Espana during the Spanish government's third renewable tender held in July 2017, the statement added.
The tender was aimed at helping the country achieve its target to cover 20 percent of energy consumption with renewable energy by 2020, it said.
According to the statement, EGPE is building 339 MW of solar and 540 MW of wind facilities that were awarded to the company in Spain's last two tenders, involving a total investment of more than €800 million by 2020. Once completed, the projects will increase the power of EGPE’s current portfolio by 52.4 percent, it said.
-100 MW wind farm in northern Mexico
Previously, on Tuesday, Enel announced that it started construction on a 100-MW wind farm in Mexico through its subsidiary Enel Green Power Mexico (EGPM).
Amistad II, located in the northern state of Coahuila, is expected to start operation in the first half 2020 and, once fully operational, will be able to generate around 350 GWh annually, according to a press release from the group.
The farm will prevent the emission of around 190,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it said.
The overall investment in the construction of the wind farm, which was awarded in Mexico’s third long-term auction of last November, amounts to approx. $115 million.
According to the statement, in the state of Coahuila, EGP is completing the Americas' largest PV plant currently under construction, the 828 MW Villanueva plant, recently expanded from 754 MW, as well as the 200 MW Amistad wind farm.
In Coahuila, the company was also awarded in the November 2017 tender the 100 MW Amistad III and 149 MW Amistad IV wind facilities, which will be built in Ciudad de Acuna along with Amistad and Amistad II, it said.
According to the statement, Enel Green Power Mexico is the largest renewable energy operator in the country in terms of installed capacity and project portfolio. Currently, the company operates around 1,720 MW, of which 675 MW come from wind energy, around 990 MW from solar and 53 MW from hydro.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr