The energy company Total is planning to build 48 solar power plants in Spain. Together, these plants will have an output of about three gigawatts. Total's plans have now passed the environmental impact assessment of the Ministry of Energy and Autonomous Communities.
Electricity for four million people
Some of the new plants will be built near Madrid. Here, Total plans to build generators with a total output of 1.9 gigawatts. The energy company is building another 350 megawatts in the Murcia region in the south-east of the country. In the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, east of Madrid, Total is building further power plants with a total capacity of 300 megawatts.
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In addition, 263 megawatts of solar power are being built in Andalusia, in the very south of the country, and in the northern Spanish autonomous community of Aragon, about 150 megawatts will be connected to the grid. All these plants are expected to produce about 6,000 gigawatt hours of clean electricity for about four million people each year.
400 hectares of land for nature conservation
The first of the projects are expected to be ready before the end of spring 2024. However, Total will not only take a big step forward in green power generation in Spain, but will also promote a whole range of compensatory measures at the same time. Among other things, the group supports projects to mark birds in order to monitor and analyse their behaviour. Furthermore, in addition to the land for the solar parks, the company is leasing another 400 hectares of land on which nature conservation measures will be implemented.
1.5 per cent yield for the local population
But the local population should also benefit from energy production with the sun. Total will grant local residents rebates on their electricity bills that amount to a total of 1.5 per cent of the income from the power plant's production.
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In addition, the company will train residents of the surrounding communities to build, operate and maintain the plants. "With two million residential and business customers in Spain, our company is firmly committed to promoting the development of renewable energy in the country," stresses Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Managing Director of Total Energies.
Switch to green electricity by mid-century
Receiving a positive environmental impact assessment is therefore a big step forward, Pouyanné stresses. "For Spain, the development of these solar farms will make a massive contribution to the country's energy transition, as they will be able to supply the equivalent of the population of the entire municipality of Madrid," calculates the Total boss. "For Total Energies, these projects will bring us closer to our goal of reaching 100 gigawatts of gross installed capacity from renewables worldwide by 2030." If that is indeed achieved, the company will generate 70 per cent of its electricity from renewables. The complete switch to green power generation is for the middle of this century. (su/mfo)
