Slated to be fully operational in early 2019, the Puerto Libertad solar plant is expected to generate 963GWh of power annually, thereby helping in reducing carbon dioxide emission in local area by 925,443 metric tons.
The new solar plant in Mexico is expected to meet the electricity demand of 583,000 homes. It will be built in the Sonoran Desert, where there are extreme environmental conditions such as high temperature, ultraviolet radiation as well as sandstorms.
Owing to the harsh conditions, there is a stringent need for the reliability of solar modules deployed in the location, said JA Solar.
The Chinese firm claims that its solar products have cleared multiple endurance and environmental tests like drought and sand tests, dry heat and damp heat tests.
JA Solar vice president Cao Bo said: “We are optimistic about the industry outlook and solar energy development in Mexico. In 2017, we established a Mexican subsidiary to expand our presence and support our customers and partners in the region.
“JA Solar will continue to focus on expanding its share of the market in the region, and providing customers with more reliable PV modules and higher-quality services.”
Earlier this year, ACCIONA Energy said that the Puerto Libertad solar plant will feature 1,222,800 polycrystalline silicon panels that will be erected on horizontal tracker systems.
The company said that 229MW of the Mexican solar plant will be allocated to the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) while 114MW of its capacity will come under a private energy purchase and sale contract between the plant owners and Tuto Energy Trading.
The remaining 61 MW capacity of the Puerto Libertad solar plant will be sold on the wholesale electricity market, said ACCIONA Energy.
Last month, ACCIONA Energy and Tuto Energy signed a financing agreement for the solar plant with North American Development Bank (NADB), Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios of Mexico (BANOBRAS), Instituto de Crédito Oficial of Spain (ICO) and Banco SABADELL for a maximum $264m.
