Spanish energy major Iberdrola announced that its Francisco Pizarro project in Extremadura has become operational. Considered to be the largest photovoltaic plant in Europe, the project is made up of around 1.5 million photovoltaic modules and has an installed capacity of 590 MW.
With an investment of around €300 million, the project can generate clean energy to about 334,000 homes and also prevent 150,000 tonnes of CO2 emission every year.
Located between Torrecillas de la Tiesta and Aldeacentenera (Cáceres), the project generated about 1,500 jobs during its construction phase.
By signing long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with leading companies in different sectors, Iberdrola had guaranteed the viability of the project. Last month, the company has secured global food and beverages behemoth PepsiCo as an offtaker for power from the project (see PepsiCo Enters Solar PPA With Iberdrola). The company will also be supplying 100% renewable electricity from this plant to Danone and Bayer to cover the energy needs of their centres in Spain.