Zelestra and Graphic Packaging sign vPPA for Leon solar farm

• Zelestra and Graphic Packaging sign a vPPA for the 19-MW Villamañán solar farm in León, Spain, pushing their joint contracted capacity above 100 MW and advancing GPI’s CO₂ cuts.

Spanish renewables developer Zelestra has deepened its relationship with Graphic Packaging International (GPI), agreeing to a new virtual power purchase agreement (vPPA) that will finance the 19-MW Villamañán solar farm in León, north-west Spain. Under the deal, GPI will purchase the plant’s renewable energy certificates, allowing Zelestra to break ground immediately and inject new green power into the Iberian grid. Commercial operation is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. 

The single-axis-tracking project is expected to generate about 28,700 MWh of electricity a year, enough to offset more than 4,900 tonnes of CO₂ annually—roughly the same emissions as 2,000 Spanish passenger cars. Once online, Zelestra will redistribute guarantees of origin across its entire fleet so that all contracted assets underpin GPI’s decarbonisation roadmap. 

Villamañán is the third plant backed by the Zelestra–GPI partnership. In August 2024 the two companies inked their first vPPA, unlocking construction of the 64-MW José Cabrera and 19-MW Socovos II projects in Castilla-La Mancha. Taken together, the trio will deliver more than 100 MW dc of new capacity and supply renewable electricity attribute certificates covering roughly 70 % of GPI’s Spanish demand.

“By securing long-term renewable output we can meet our Scope 1 and 2 targets and help our customers hit their Scope 3 goals,” said Jean-François Roche, GPI’s senior vice-president and chief commercial officer. Zelestra’s Spain country manager Luis Alvargonzález added that the deal “shows how collaborative clean-energy solutions accelerate industry-wide decarbonisation.” 

Zelestra—majority-owned by EQT Infrastructure V—now controls a Spanish pipeline exceeding 6 GW, including 800 MW that is contracted, under construction or already operating. For the province of León, Villamañán brings jobs, tax revenues and a modest but meaningful boost to local energy security, underscoring how corporate offtake agreements are reshaping Spain’s renewables landscape at every scale.