Iberdrola advances its plans in Extremadura: it has obtained environmental permits for another 300 MW

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Iberdrola advances its plans in Extremadura: it has obtained environmental permits for another 300 MW

27/07/2020
Investing 180 million euros to develop four new photovoltaic plants

• It is placing the region at the centre of its renewable strategy in Spain: after commissioning Núñez de Balboa (500 MW), it is constructing seven photovoltaic projects with a capacity of 728 MW in the coming months

Iberdrola is making progress on the most ambitious renewables investment plan in Extremadura and Spain, after obtaining the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for four photovoltaic plants in the province of Cáceres, with a total capacity of 300 MW: three of them are part of the Arañuelo Complex and amount to a total of 150 megawatts (MW) and the fourth, also located in the province of Cáceres, is the Arenales photovoltaic facility, with another 150 MW of installed capacity.

Located in the Almaraz region, the Arañuelo I, II and III plants, with 50 MW each, will consist of 12, 514 fixed structures and 366, 180 solar panels. The project also includes an energy storage system involving the use of an innovative battery. The Arenales photovoltaic plant, with an installed capacity of 150 MW, will consist of 390, 840 solar panels. The joint investment in these projects amounts to 180 million euros.

More than 1, 000 professionals will be involved in their construction during peak periods and there will be a large amount of local involvement, with the participation of companies such as Ecoenergias for the engineering and environmental work and Imedexa for the supply of high-voltage pylons.

These four new projects are in addition to the two plants that Iberdrola will develop in the municipality of Cedillo - Majada Alta and San Antonio - with a joint installed capacity of 100 MW, for which it has already obtained the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The construction works for all these projects will be activated once the administrative authorisations and building permits are obtained.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF CECLAVÍN, UNDER PREPARATION

The Ceclavín photovoltaic plant (328 MW) in Extremadura is in the final phase of the administrative process and Iberdrola is already preparing to start construction, which will involve 800 professionals. The project represents an investment of 250 million euros and, once in operation, will supply energy to a population equivalent of 175, 385 homes/year and prevent the emission of 110, 000 tCO2/year.

In February, Iberdrola and Orange reached a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) whereby the energy company will provide green energy to the 9, 000 supply points in Orange's own network in Spain, for a period of 12 years. Half of this consumption, 200 GWh/year, will be made under the PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) formula, associated with this newly built renewable asset.

EXTREMADURA, AT THE HEART OF ITS RENEWABLE STRATEGY

Iberdrola has placed Extremadura the centre of its renewable strategy in Spain, where it will develop more than 1, 800 MW of photovoltaic energy until 2022.

Following the commissioning of Europe's largest photovoltaic plant, Núñez de Balboa, with 500 MW of installed capacity, on 6 April during the height of the coronavirus crisis, Iberdrola is constructing another seven renewable energy projects in the region in the coming months, with a total capacity of 728 MW. It also has the 590 MW Francisco Pizarro plant in the pipeline, located in Torrecillas de la Tiesa.

Iberdrola is convinced that electrification will act as a lever for change in the post-Covid world, which is why the company has accelerated its investments to help reactivate economic activity and employment.

This commitment to a green recovery has led it to commit record investments this year, worth €10bn, into renewable energy sources, smart grids and large-scale storage systems, having already allocated €100bn since 2001 throughout the world and of this, €25bn in Spain.

Iberdrola is the leader in renewable energies in Spain, with an installed wind capacity of more than 6, 000 MW and over 16, 600 MW in renewables as a whole. Worldwide, the total amounts to 32, 700 MW, making its generation facilities among the cleanest in the energy sector.

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