Ceclavín is an operational solar photovoltaic plant located in the Extremadura municipalities of Ceclavín and Alcántara (Cáceres province) in Spain.
The 328MW facility is Iberdrola’s third photovoltaic plant in Extremadura.
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Built with a total investment of €250m, Ceclavín was commissioned in 2021. It supplies renewable energy to a population of the region equivalent to 175,385 homes per year offsetting around 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
During the construction phase, the project gave a major boost to local employment and engaged more than 1,140 people from nearby communities. According to Iberdrola, around 60% of the involved employees were from the Extremadura.
Project infrastructure
Ceclavín plant consists of more than 850,000 modules. Other project infrastructure includes 168 inverters, a substation and around 18km long high-voltage line.
The plant was built in an area of around 220 hectares. The construction of the photovoltaic project involved 155,000 cubic metres in earth and rock movements.
Protected areas were also established to preserve local biodiversity.
Financing
In July 2020, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Instituto de Credito Official (ICO) agreed to provide a total of €800m in financing to support the construction of 20 renewable projects with a combined capacity of more than 2,000MW.
As agreed, EIB provided €600m, while ICO made a commitment of €200m.
One of the projects that benefitted from the funding was Ceclavín photovoltaic project.
The development of all the new facilities will help in generating renewable energy enough to meet the annual use of almost one million households. It will also help in creating 3,000 direct jobs during the construction phase and many more in related sectors.
Contractors involved
Eiffage Energia built the Ceclavín Photovoltaic Plant in BOP mode.
The company procured the materials and tools used for the implementation of the project through local suppliers.
Eiffage Energia also provided courses and approved local workers in occupational health and safety. Additionally, training courses on operating photovoltaic plants and their executive development were also offered.
Civil engineering company CEMOSA provided a range of services for Ceclavín photovoltaic project. This includes technical advisory services; project documentation management; quality control; monitoring of the budget, certifications and execution deadlines of the different work units; preparation of final works certificates, and environmental supervision.
Additionally, CEMOSA managed supply contracts, supervised the commissioning of the installations and undertook supervision of the civil, mechanical, and electrical construction of the plant, substation and evacuation line.
Power Purchase Agreement
In 2020, Iberdrola Group entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with telecommunications operator Orange.
As agreed, Iberdrola will supply clean energy to 9,000 supply points of Orange’s own network in Spain for a period of 12 years. Half of the supplies, around 200 GWh/year, will be made through the Ceclavín photovoltaic project.
The agreement is also aligned with Orange’s efforts to use emissions-free energy nationwide.
Iberdrola in Spain
Iberdrola is one of the leading renewable energy developers in Spain with an installed capacity of 17,571MW. The company aims to increase the capacity to 25,000MW.
Iberdrola has already reached more than 1,000 MW in total photovoltaic operating capacity in Spain.
As of June 2021, Iberdrola was developing an additional 1,200 MW of photovoltaic capacity in the country.
This includes building the Francisco Pizarro, Arenales and other projects in Cedillo, while Núñez de Balboa, Campo de Arañuelo I and II in Extremadura, Azaila (Aragon, 50 MW), and Andévalo (Andalusia) were already delivered.
The company aims to enter into bilateral agreements with big customers and increase sustainable energy consumption. It is also investing to become a carbon neutral company in Europe by 2030.
