Neoen turns sod on 272MW Portuguese solar

• Facility situated in the municipality of Azambuja is slated for commissioning in early 2024

Neoen has actually begun the building of among Portugal's largest solar parks, with a capacity of 272MW.

The park will certainly make up 2 contiguous solar farms, which are the 68MW Torre Bela Solar Farm, totally possessed by Neoen, and the 204MW Rio Maior Solar Farm, owned in partnership with Mood Power.

The facility lies at Herdade da Torre Bela, in the municipality of Azambuja, 70 km north of Lisbon and attached to the REN substation, in Rio Maior, using a 400 kV overhead line.

Aldesa, one of the biggest construction teams in Spain, has actually been given notice to proceed under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction complete agreement.

The commissioning of the solar park is scheduled for early 2024.

Some 80% of the renewable energy created will certainly be purchased by the Portuguese State, under two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPA) granted under the 2019 sustainable capacity public auction.

The PPAs are anticipated to begin throughout 2025.

The remaining power and certifications of beginning will certainly be sold on the electricity market.

The solar park will certainly be constructed in plots with a typical size of 20 hectares, separated by green corridors to enhance connections in between almost 200 hectares of biodiversity defense locations.

Over 6000 cork oaks, a protected tree varieties in Portugal, will certainly be preserved in these secured spaces. A tree as well as hedge drape will secure the panels from view, to make sure that the solar farms assimilate with the bordering landscape.

Bernardo dos Santos, Managing Director of Neoen Portugal, said: "It gives us terrific contentment to see the Rio Maior and Torre Bela solar farms get off the drawing board: their construction will certainly bring Portugal closer to its purpose of achieving internet zero exhausts by 2050.

" I want to give thanks to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action and all public establishments for their support over the past years.

" We would certainly likewise like to thank individuals and also local government in the bordering community that have actually championed the project as well as the advantages it will certainly bring."