The solar plant is located in San Luis de la Paz, in the North-Central state Guanajuato, Mexico.
When completed, the solar plant is expected to generate about 539GWh of clean electricity per year, which will be sufficient to meet consumption needs of 410,000 Mexican households.
The solar plant will also help in preventing the release of more than 245,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Don José solar plant is expected to begin its operations in 2018. For the construction of the solar plant, Enel would invest around $220m.
The company has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (Comisión Federal de Electricidad in Spanish or CFE) to supply specific volumes of energy over a period of 15 years and related clean energy certificates over a 20 year period.
Enel Renewable Energies for Central America head Paolo Romanacci said: “Today’s announcement marks an important milestone for our presence in Mexico, as Don José is the final project to begin construction from the 1GW of capacity awarded to Enel in the country’s first long-term public tender following its energy reforms.
“This milestone further strengthens our leadership in the Mexican renewable energy sector, while confirming our commitment and ability to successfully contribute to the country’s growth in a sustainable and innovative way.”
Enel won the Don José contract last year in a public tender held by the Mexican government. The company, through its subsidiary EGPM operates about 728MW in renewable projects, out of which 675 MW are wind and 53MW in hydroelectric power. Recently, EGPM started construction of the 754MW Villanueva solar project in the country.
Image: Enel begins construction of 238MW solar plant in Mexico. Photo: Courtesy of franky242/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
