Ground Breaks On 140 MW Albania PV Project

• Voltalia has commenced construction of 140 MW solar power project in Karavasta, Albania
• 50% of power to be generated post project completion in H2/2023 will be procured by Albanian public operator for 15 years; Remaining power will be sold to private operators
• Voltalia has also announced the development of a new solar cluster with over 1.5 GW capacity in Brazil's Minas Gerais state

Over 2 years after it was awarded a 140 MW solar power plant in Albania, French renewable energy company Voltalia has started the construction of Karavasta PV facility calling it the 'largest' solar energy project in the Western Balkans.

It offered the lowest bid of €24.89 per MWh to win the project against €55.0 per MWh of the tender's ceiling tariff, back in May 2020 (see Voltalia Wins 140 MW Albanian Solar Auction).

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) supported project is contracted for 15 years to sell 50% of electricity generated to the Albanian public operator. The other half of the electricity generated will be sold under long-term bilateral contracts to private operators once the facility is commercially operational in H2/2023.

Power generated will help avoid more than 96,500 tons CO2 on annual basis, equivalent to removing 9.5% of carbon emissions from Albanian industrial sector.

During the groundbreaking ceremony attended by the country's Prime Minister Edi Rama, Voltalia's CEO Sébastien Clerc said, "We are particularly proud to support the Albanian energy transition. By its size, the Karavasta project is a major element of this policy aimed at increasing the country's energy independence through an economically competitive and environmentally efficient energy."

Voltalia also won a 100 MW solar project in another auction in March 2021 in Albania for €0.02989 per kWh (see Voltalia Wins 100 MW Albanian Solar Auction).

Recently, Voltalia announced the development of a new solar PV cluster with over 1.5 GW potential capacity in Brazil's Minas Gerais. The Arinos Solar Cluster will be the French company's 3^rd such renewable energy cluster in Brazil as it has already developed 2.4 GW Serra Branca cluster in Rio Grande do Norte, and 1 GW+ Canudos in Bahia (see Latin America PV News Snippets).

For the Arinos cluster, Voltalia says it has signed partnerships with 3^rd parties, including with CTG Brasil to enable them to purchase a significant portion once the development phase of each site is complete and they are construction ready.