Plenitude says it has started the construction works in Villarino de los Aires (Salamanca, Spain) of a solar plant, with a future installed capacity of 220 MW. The plant which is estimated to produce more than 400 GWh per year, and regarded to be one of the largest in Castilla y León, is located in Salamanca Spain. The take-off ceremony has just been held, with representatives of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, the City Council and the Company in attendance.
As the Italian Eni stated in its email to Energy Window International, the park will cover an area of around 286 hectares and will be connected to the national transmission grid at the Villarino de los Aires junction via a 3.2 km underground medium-voltage line. The facility is loaded with 365,300 bifacial modules, with an estimated production of over 400,000 MWh of electricity per year. It is expected to be completed by 2025, with the support of Sterling & Wilson, one of the largest global photovoltaic construction companies, together with other relevant local firms.
Statement further disclosed some of the company’s strategic measures aimed at protecting the territory, which will include, the conservation and relocation of rural huts between the modules, the conservation of natural water channels crossing the area, the provision of permeable hunting fence surrounding the precinct and the active coordination with neighboring farmers to ensure the compatibilization of the project with the land-use.
“The Villarino project is a virtuous example of integration with the territory. Being here today, in the presence of all the actors involved, is tangible proof of our willingness to continue this collaborative approach in the coming years, in line with our business and growth strategy in the country,” explains Mariangiola Mollicone, Head of Western Europe Renewables and Managing Director of Plenitude in Spain.
“With the start of works in Villarino, Plenitude strengthens its presence in Castilla y León, where it already has a wind plant with an installed capacity of around 13 MW.”
Plenitude is said to be operating, currently, over 440 MW of installed capacity of photovoltaic and wind energy in Spain, with plants located, in addition to Castilla y León, also in Galicia, La Rioja, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia, stating projects currently under construction to be within the neighborhood of around 1GW, in Andalusia (Seville and Granada), Castilla y León (Salamanca) and Extremadura (Badajoz). Adding that the company is working on more than 2 GW capacity with new projects at different stages of development.
A company controlled by Eni, Plenitude the statement says, is active in over 15 countries across the world, with a business model integrating the production of electricity from renewable sources, with over 3 GW installed capacity, selling energy and energy solutions to 10 million European clients, and having an extensive network of 20,000 charging points for electric vehicles. By 2027, the company intends to reach 11, 5 million clients, more than 8 GW of installed renewable capacity, and 40,000 charging points.