Iberdrola to build landmark industrial solar PV plant as part of PPA

Facility in Spain will be largest solar PV plant of its kind and supply power to chemicals company

Iberdrola is to build what it says will be the largest solar PV plant for on-site self-consumption in Europe.

It has won planning consent to begin construction of the project which is the basis of a long-term renewable energy power purchase agreement with chemicals company SABIC.

Iberdrola will supply electricity from the plant for the next 25 years to SABIC’s industrial complex based in La Aljorra, Cartagena.

The 100MW plant, which will comprise more than 260,000 solar modules will be located on land owned by SABIC, will require an investment of more than €60 million and commissioning is expected for 2024.

Raquel Blanco, Iberdrola’s Director of Global Customers and PPAs, said “this is a very important milestone for the development of a unique self-consumption facility from which to supply renewable energy in the long term”.

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Blanco stressed that PPAs “have proven to be a great tool for customers to secure long-term, sustainable renewable energy while gaining greater certainty in the performance of our energy assets, thus contributing to the growth of renewable energy”.

“And this is just the beginning as we continue to work together with SABIC to implement additional solutions to achieve full decarbonisation globally”.

Bob Maughon of SABIC said the company “is delighted to see the final permits granted to build the Cartagena solar plant, which will bring SABIC one step closer to having the world’s first plant of this size operating 100% on renewable energy”.

“This is an important milestone in SABIC’s journey to transition all global operations to clean energy by 2050, while continuing on our roadmap to carbon neutrality”.

Iberdrola said the construction of the PV plant will have “an important regional component as it will employ civil works companies, labour, transporters, suppliers of raw materials, cranes etc, as well as the promotion of industrial suppliers from the Region of Murcia in southeastern Spain.

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