Iberdrola has commissioned the Francisco Pizarro solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Extremadura, Spain.
The project has a capacity of 590MW and is said to be the largest solar PV plant in Europe.
Francisco Pizarro is situated between the municipalities of Torrecillas de la Tiesta and Aldeacentenera (Cáceres) and features around 1.5 million photovoltaic modules.
The project was developed with an investment of more than €300m creating more than 1,500 jobs during peak construction periods.
In a statement, Iberdrola said: “During the execution of the project, Iberdrola has guaranteed at all times the preservation of the natural environment and the archaeological remains discovered thanks to the previous prospecting work.”
The company has already signed long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and will supply the electricity generated by the plant to Danone, Bayer and PepsiCo.
“These contracts bring stability to investments and have become an optimal tool for managing the electricity supply of large customers committed to accelerating the energy transition to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to clean and sustainable consumption,” the statement added.
Francisco Pizarro can produce enough clean energy for more than 334,000 homes offsetting around 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
With an installed capacity of more than 19,300MW, Iberdrola group is one of the key players in Spanish renewable energy sector.
The company aims to further build its capacity and achieve 25,000MW in the country in the upcoming years.
Recently, Iberdrola closed a preliminary agreement regarding the acquisition of 98 MW of wind and solar projects in Poland.
