Engie, partners reduced ribbon on 20.3-MWp PV park in Ile-de-France

• French power group Engie SA (EPA: ENGI) and also its partners on Monday inaugurated a 20.3-MWp photovoltaic (PV) solar farm, called the largest in the Paris-centred Ile-de-France area.

Engie developed the facility along with the Intercommunal Syndicate for Gas and Electricity in Ile-de-France (SIGEIF) and also the community of Marcoussis, located in the southerly suburbs of Paris.

Including more than 58,000 panels, the solar farm is positioned on a website covered with backfill from the building and construction of the LGV Atlantique high-speed rail line. It is anticipated to create 21,000 MWh a year, equivalent to the yearly power need of a town of 10,000 individuals, according to the news.

The project, a champion in a call for tenders by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, represented a financial investment of EUR 18.8 million (USD 21.8 m) co-financed through an unique function vehicle with involvement of SIGEIF (20%), Engie (60%) and also person crowdfunding (20%).

"ENGIE, the leading developer of renewable energy in France with 75% renewables in its power mix, is the leader in solar energy in France, with the 1.3 GW that we are constructing and also running today," stated Engie chief executive Catherine MacGregor.

Engie has 7.9 GW of renewables ability in France, consisting of 1.3 GW solar, 2.7 GW wind as well as 3.9 GW hydropower.

The launch was gone to by the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili.