HoloSolis secures key contract: French solar PV manufacturer Holosolis says its yet-to-be-produced solar PV panels have been pre-selected for a 6.8 MW project at Zénith de Nancy concert hall. According to Holosolis, if its Moselle gigafactory, where it plans to host 5 GW PV manufacturing capacity, is operational by the time the project enters construction in 2027, its Made-in-France panels will be deployed on site. Backed by a public-private consortium, the project is expected to generate 6.7 GWh annually on completion. HoloSolis recently signed a patent licensing deal with China’s TrinaSolar for its n-type TOPCon portfolio (see HoloSolis Secures Trinasolar’s TOPCon Patent License For French Factory).
133 MW enters construction: German utility LEAG has started construction of 133 MW solar PV capacity on agriculturally reclaimed land from the Jänschwalde open-cast mine in Germany. This forms phase I of the Bohrau Energy Park, which will be followed by another phase in the coming years. It will be grid-connected to the company’s own Heinersbrück substation, built exclusively to connect phase I of the Bohrau Energy Park and 105 MW Forst-Briesnig II Wind Farm. LEAG says the Bohrau Energy Park is one of the largest solar parks in Germany. Phase I is scheduled for completion in H2 2026.
€370 million for Italian projects: GreenIT, a joint venture between Eni-controlled Plenitude and CDP Group’s CDP Equity, has raised €370 million ($438 million) in project financing to support the development of 1 GW of greenfield onshore renewable energy projects in Italy. It targets to complete its commissioning by 2028. The project finance agreement was signed with the European Investment Bank, which subscribed a total of €220 million ($261 million), including €180 million ($213 million) in direct loans and €40 million ($47.4 million) through financial intermediaries. The remaining financing support came from BNP Paribas – Italian Branch, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank – Milan Branch, ING Bank N.V. – Milan Branch, and Société Générale – Milan Branch, among other leading European financial institutions, said GreenIT.
€105 million for Aukera: European renewable energy developer and independent power producer (IPP) Aukera has achieved financial close for an oversubscribed €105 million ($124 million) equity round. It will help Aukera advance its 15 GW of solar PV, onshore wind, and battery storage projects in its core markets of the UK, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Romania. This is the company’s 2nd equity round, attracting interest from existing investors, including its majority shareholders AtlasInvest and Reggeborgh. Other new investors participating in the round included Belgium’s sovereign wealth fund Société Fédérale de Participations et d’Investissement / Federale Participatie- en Investeringsmaatschappij (SFPIM). Aukera entered the market in November 2021 (see New Europe Focused Renewables Company).
$50 million RCF for solar fund: NextEnergy III (NEIII), a private fund for the international solar infrastructure sector by NextEnergy Capital (NEC), has secured a revolving credit facility (RCF) of $50 million from Hamburg Commercial Bank AG (HCOB). It will provide the fund with flexibility to respond to investment opportunities while managing cash flows to optimize returns, said Jean-Baptiste Bonnaud, NextEnergy Capital’s Director of Investments. Since its launch in 2018, NEIII has supported the deployment of 167 assets with a combined 18 GW of capacity in targeted OECD geographies, it says.
NTR strengthens business in Spain & Ireland: Ireland-based renewable energy developer NTR Plc has signed corporate virtual power purchase agreements (VPPA) in Spain with construction and renovation materials retailer OBRAMAT and home improvement brand LEROY MERLIN. OBRAMAT has signed up for 10.89 GWh of clean energy annually from the Picón Photovoltaic Park in Ciudad Real. This VPPA will enable the grid connection of this project and will cover nearly 30% of OBRAMAT’s annual energy consumption in Spain over the next 10 years. LEROY MERLIN will also be able to cover nearly 1/3rd of its annual electricity consumption in Spain over the next decade under a VPPA with NTR for the same project. Its contracted volume from the project totals 45.6 GWh/year. Additionally, NTR has also completed an initial €65 million financing deal with Rabobank and Siemens Financial Services for its Monvallet solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Ireland. Situated in County Louth of Ireland, the ready-to-build Monvallet project will be able to enter the construction phase with the financing close, added NTR.
22 MW solar plant in Moldova: Moldova has approved a 22 MW solar PV project, which will be co-located with a 16,512 MWh energy storage system. The project is planned to be located in Zîmbreni commune of Laloveni district by SRL TPI-PHARM, according to local media reports.