Poland based renewable energy supplier Respect Energy along with German EPC player Goldbeck Solar GmbH will build a 203 MW solar farm in Northern Poland's Zwartowo in Pomerania region, touting it as the largest PV power plant in Central and Eastern Europe.
The duo won this capacity in the December 14, 2020 federal auction for projects of 1 MW or above held by Polish Energy Regulatory Authority (see Poland Selects 1.7 GW Wind & PV In Auction).
The 2 partners plan to start construction on the project in Q1/2021 on some 300 hectares of land targeting completion within a year by Q1/2022 when it will start delivering power to the grid. It is expected to generate approximately 230 GWh annually with a 30-year life span, enough to cater to 153,000 households.
On completion, Goldbeck Solar says, the project will have a value of around €200 million ($243 million). As part of the auction agreement, the 203 MW project will get a 15-year contract-for-difference (CfD).
This is the 1st solar PV investment project of Respect Energy, previously known as TRMEW Obrot SA which is active in selling energy from renewable energy sources. "The Joint Venture with Goldbeck Solar marks the development of another area of our business activity. This year, apart from wholesale trade on 21 markets, we have undergone rebranding and have been very successful in entering the market as Respect Energy. We are now kicking off the construction of our PV power plant in this part of Europe," said President of the Management Board of Respect Energy, Sebastian Jabłoński.
Respect Energy says it is interested in establishing cooperation with other wind and PV power plant project developers.
Goldbeck Solar added that this strategic partnership enables the construction of PV power plants with an annual output of 350 MW, translating into 1.75 GW in 5 years.
Recently, IEO said Poland's cumulative installed solar PV capacity till the end of 2020 exceeded 3.5 GW and going by the timelines for capacity auctioned in the last few years, 2021 and 2022 should see a spurt in more such projects in the country (see Poland Added 2 GW New PV In 2020: IEO).