Canada-based Boralex and Germany-based photovoltaic (PV) company Q-Cells will start the construction of the 4.5MW Avignonet-Lauragais solar energy park in southern France.
Equipped with Q-Cells PV panels and cells, the solar park developed by the Boralex will be located on land adjacent to the Avignonet-Lauragais wind farm, creating a solar and wind energy power generation site in France.
Boralex will start building the solar park on 15 January 2011 with the support of Q-Cells, and the site is scheduled to start operating in May 2011.
Boralex expects that the electricity generated will add up to 4.5MW to its asset portfolio.
Under a turnkey agreement, the engineers of the Q-Cells French subsidiary are responsible for the engineering, construction and maintenance of the facility.
Q-Cells France general director Daniel Cintolesi said that the Avignonet-Lauragais solar park has a 20-year contract with Electricite de France and required an investment of EUR14.6m.
"Financing of over 85% of the investment was provided by the Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg bank," Cintolesi said.