Portugal

Acting on the behalf of its investors, the German asset manager has come into possession of four solar PV projects in Portugal, the names of which have not been disclosed. Meanwhile, Germany’s HSH Nordbank has successfully penetrated the Portuguese market with the refinancing of two solar plants.

The leading party of Portugal’s left-wing government coalition, the Socialist Party, said that the extension of the CESE tax to renewables would have hindered the further development of clean energy across the country.

The CESE tax, so far paid only by conventional energy companies, will be extended to existing RE power plants under the special tariff regime.

The solar project Central Fotovoltaica do Corvo will be built by EDA, the Portuguese archipelago’s power utility, and will be used to reduce the island of Corvo’s reliance on fossil fuels.

A 221 MW solar project in Portugal is now under construction. When complete, it is set to be the largest unsubsidized solar PV project in Europe.

In an interview with pv magazine, President of the Portuguese renewable energy association Apren, António Sá da Costa, has explained why solar and renewable energy power plants selling electricity to the spot market are still unviable in the country, and has urged the government to introduce auctions.

The proposal for the new plan is included in the draft state budget law for 2018.

In anticipation of possible auctions for large-scale solar and renewables, several projects for PV plants were submitted to the country’s local and central authorities over the past months. The latest of these is a 20 MW facility planned for the municipality of Vidigueira, in Southern Portugal.

Portugal’s renewable energy association Apren said that Spain has paved the way for further development of renewables on the Iberian Peninsula with its recent 3 GW auction, and that a similar tender is needed to revive the country’s solar and wind power sector.

The Portuguese company invested $31.8 million in the transaction. The solar park is located in Ferreira do Alentejo, in southern Portugal.