The solar capacity is divided between the Algarve and the Tajo Valley regions in the country
Image: Iberdrola entra en el negocio solar en Portugal con la construcción de 149 MW. Photo: Courtesy of Iberdrola, S.A.
Spanish public electric utility company Iberdrola has secured 149MW photovoltaic solar power in Portugal and the capacity is divided between the Algarve and the Tajo Valley regions.
The project has been awarded under a public auction by the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment and Energy Transition through the General Directorate of Energy and Geology and organised by Operador do Mercado Ibérico de Energia (OMIP).
After knowing the outcome of the biggest auction in the Portuguese energy sector in the, Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán said: “These new projects are an example of Iberdrola’s commitment to renewable energy sources as a way of contributing to the transition toward a decarbonised Europe.”
Iberdrola’s Portuguese portfolio includes 300,000 electricity and natural gas customers
Iberdrola holds an approximately 33% market share in the large consumer commercial sector in Portugal, with a portfolio comprising of 300,000 electricity and natural gas customers.
In addition, it is carrying out the large-scale Támega project that includes the construction of three new plants, namely Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Támega. The company is expected to commission the project between 2021 and 2023.
Once commissioned, the project would increase the installed power of the companies by 6%, and supply clean energy to 440,000 Portuguese homes.
Iberdrola stated: “With the development of the Támega plant and the new solar capacity awarded, Iberdrola, which has succeeded in reducing its emissions in Europe by 75% since the year 2000, contributes to Portugal’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.”
In Portugal, the company holds 92MW of wind power, distributed among three wind farms, namely Catefica, in the municipal area of Torres Vedras, with 18MW; Alto do Monção, in Mortágua and Tondela, with 32MW; and Serra do Alvão, in Ribeira de Pena, with 42MW.
In June, Iberdrola submitted a proposal to build a 590MW solar plant in Extremadura, Spain, with the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.