The Diplomat
Iberdrola has consolidated its expansion in Europe with more than 4,300 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy installed outside Spain, the company said.
Specifically, this figure includes 3,008 MW from the UK and contributions from Portugal, France, Greece, Romania, Cyprus, Poland and Germany. The renewables installed by the utility in all these countries will also be expanded in the coming months. Its latest operation was in Poland, where it recently agreed to purchase 98 MW of wind and solar projects.
The energy company chaired by Ignacio Sánchez Galán increased its installed capacity in reactors by 8.9% in the first half of this year, to almost 39,000 MW in all the countries where it operates. Europe is one of its growth accelerators, as it has more than 80 facilities and strong growth plans on the continent, reports Europa Press.
For this reason, the company has been awarded 2,094 MW in the latest auction in the United Kingdom: 1,372 MW of offshore wind, 396 MW of onshore wind and 326 MW of solar photovoltaic. This will involve an investment of 3.7 billion pounds sterling (around 4.4 billion euros).
In this country, where it operates through its subsidiary ScottishPower, the group already has 1,986 MW of installed offshore wind, 908 MW of offshore wind, 10 MW of solar and 104M of batteries.
It has also installed its first photovoltaic plant in Italy -in Montalto di Castro, with 23 megawatts (MW), in the central region of Lazio-, which will provide enough energy to cover the needs of more than 12,000 homes and will prevent the emission of 9,600 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
It will also continue with more projects in the cross-border country as part of a major renewable growth plan of 1,500 MW, which will see the company triple its portfolio of green projects there by 2025.
In addition, a few days ago Iberdrola also closed a pre-agreement for the acquisition of 98 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar projects in Poland from Augusta Energy, a joint venture between Greenvolt’s subsidiary V-ridium Power Group and the property. KGAL’s managing director. This transaction will increase its installed capacity in the country to 261 MW.
The new projects in Poland are currently under construction and are part of a 15-year ‘PPA’ (long-term power purchase agreement) agreed with T-Mobile Polska, indexed to the consumer price index (CPI). The projects are expected to be operational in 2023.
On the other hand, the company has a significant PV portfolio in Portugal, after seven lots issued in the 2019 auction, for 187 MW and a PV lot in the 2020 auction with 84 MW and another 14MW of batteries.
It also reached an agreement with Prosalia for the construction of a 1.3 GW PV plant in the Sines area. With the lots obtained in the 2019 PV auction (187 MW), Iberdrola will triple its size in a year in Portugal.
In France, Iberdrola has already begun assembling the first offshore wind platforms for the future Saint-Brieuc wind farm, which has been built in Fene (A Coruña) by the Navantia-Windar consortium. It will be the group’s first major site for this technology in France and will have approximately 500 MW of capacity, providing enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of 835,000 people, once it comes into operation in 2023.
The production of the platforms has led to the creation of 1,250 direct jobs in Avilés and Fene, and, as a result of this contract, Navantia-Windar has opened a factory in Brest, France, where 186 combustion and intermediate transition platforms are being developed. parts and lattice structure for 34 of the 62 structures in the park, generating 250 jobs.
The construction of the Saint-Brieuc park will generate more than 1,500 jobs in France, spread across several companies in the country (including 250 at the Navantia-Windar Brest plant). This represents the total creation of at least 2,750 jobs between the two countries.
