From the burning sun of Extremadura and Murcia to the gusting winds of Galicia, Aragon, and Castille and Leon, Spain is a land of renewable energy. It’s got abundant natural resources, favorable legislation and an ambitious energy plan: 74% of electrical capacity from renewables by 2030. Enel Green Power has a significant presence in Spain, activating 19 new plants this year alone, and is continuing to help the Spanish government achieve its energy transition targets. In the final months of 2019, we made great strides in truly sustainable development. In September, we connected the 85 MW Totana solar park in Murcia. In October, the 50 MW Sierra Costera I wind farm was activated, the largest facility of its kind in the Aragon region. Finally, in November and December, Enel Green Power connected over 10 sustainable plants to the grid, for an overall capacity of 390 MW. Solar technology will provide 252 MW and the remaining 138 MW will come from wind. Wind energy is growing on the Iberian Peninsula Our first visit is to the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, where we connected the 35.99 MW Campoliva I, 39.37 MW Campoliva II and 34.65 MW Primoral wind farms to the grid. Campoliva I, which we built in record time with an investment of 40 million euros, has 11 turbines that generate 108 GW/h annually, reducing CO2 emissions by 71,000 tons per year. Campoliva II has 15 wind turbines that can generate 119.43 GW per year, reducing CO2 emissions by 78,500 tons annually. Primoral will help BBVA reach its sustainability targets by 2025. It has 10 wind turbines producing 107.58 GW per year, reducing CO2 emission by 71,000 tons annually. EGP also connected the 8 MW Reformado de Pena Ventosa plant in the province of Lugo, Galicia, to the grid. It’s the first wind farm we’ve activated in the Autonomous Community. The facility required an investment of 9.3 million euros, and thanks to its 4 wind turbines of 2 MW each, it will reduce CO2 emissions by 16,500 tons annually. Moving along to the province of Burgos in the Autonomous Community of Castille and Leon, this year, the 20 MW Ampliación los Llano wind farm started producing energy in the Municipalities of Cogollos and Hontoria de la Cantera. Constituting an investment of 23 million euros, the facility has ten 2 MW turbines that generate 78 GW/h annually and will reduce CO2 emissions by 51,500 tons per year. Sunlight for Spain The last region we’ll visit is Extremadura, where Enel Green Power connected 6 new 42 MW solar facilities to the grid, for a total of 252 MW. The new facilities are part of the 339 MW that EGP was awarded in a 2017 bid. The three plants in Logrosán, Baylio, Dehesa de los Guadalupes and Furatena, have a total of 372,000 solar panels. They can generate over 240 GW/h per year and will reduce CO2 emissions by 158,000 tons per year. We also activated three plants in Casas de Don Pedro and Talarrubias - Javalvillar, Valdecaballero and Castilblanco. They have over 372,000 modules able to generate 250 GW/h annually and reduce CO2 emissions by 164,000 tons per year. Keeping a constant eye on sustainability The plants were built following Enel Green Power’s sustainable construction site model, which involves installing solar panels at the building sites to meet all energy needs. Measures to save water are adopted too, such as installing water tanks and rainwater collection systems. When construction is finished, the solar panels and water-saving equipment are donated to the local communities near the plants. In accordance with the create shared value (CSV) model adopted by Enel Green Power aimed at combining business development with local communities’ needs, we develop sustainability projects to create jobs. As these examples show, for years Enel Green Power has been successfully investing in new projects that foster the energy transition. We’re going to stay on the front lines doing so next year and in years to come.
