Spanish energy company, Endesa, a subsidiary of Italy-based power utility Enel, plans to invest €59 million in an 84.9 MW solar power facility in Totana, in Spain’s southern region of Murcia.
The project, which will consist of 248,000 PV modules, was presented last week to the Mayor of Totana, Andrés García Cánovas, as well as to the main social agents of the municipality, in a working session between Endesa and the municipality of Murcia, in which Enel Green Power Spain has reported that it will encourage the hiring of local labor and subcontracting services of companies in the area.
The construction of the solar plant will begin this summer, and during construction PV systems will be installed at the field to replace the use of diesel generators. Once the construction is finalized, these panels will be donated to the municipality for public use.
This park is part of the 339 MW of solar project pipeline that Endesa was awarded in the renewable auction held by the Spanish government in July 2017. Endesa secured the auction’s third largest share after Cobra, a unit of Spanish industrial group ACS, with 1.55 GW of assigned projects and X-Elio with 455 MW.
Other selected developers were Forestalia (316 MW), Gas Natural Fenosa (250 MW), Solaria Energía (250 MW), Prodiel (182 MW), Greenalia (133 MW) Alter (50 MW), Gestamp Wind (24 MW) and Alten (13 MW).
Active role
In a separate development, Barcelona Energía, the new metropolitan electric operator of Catalonia’s capital city, began operating yesterday, July 1, with the intention of “having an active role in the energy market to make it more fair, efficient and sustainable,” the company said in a statement.
Initially, it will supply electricity coming mostly from PV plants to the City Council and the rest of municipal companies, and will be responsible for public lighting. Starting in January 2019, it will be open to the entire city. Beyond the economic savings, the start-up of the new energy operator aims to lead the transition towards the energy sovereignty of the city, the commitment to local renewable generation, and the promotion of a more responsible and rational energy consumption.
Barcelona Energía is currently selling the energy generated from already operational plants, which comprise 41 PV systems installed at municipal buildings, an energy recovery plant in Sant Adrià de Besòs, and a biogas energy recovery plant in the Garraf landfill.
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