Eni Starts Building 90 MW Solar Plant in Spain

Eni SpA has broken ground for a 90-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) generation facility in the municipality of Fortuna in the Spanish region of Murcia.

Expected to be completed this year, the La Flota project will be able to produce 185 gigawatt hours a year. It will have 150,000 bifacial modules spread across a 120-hectare site. It will be connected to the distribution grid via a 6-kilometer (3.73 miles) 30-kilovolt (kV) underground line and a 30/132 kV substation. Spain’s Negratin has won construction rights.

“During this phase, thanks to a photovoltaic generation system with battery storage, the power supply of the site camp and ancillary facilities will be totally from renewable sources”, the Italian state-backed energy major said in an online statement.

Eni also said it will fund PV installations on the roofs of three public buildings.

“On the first concept, measures will be implemented at La Flota photovoltaic plant to promote the biodiversity and the conservation of local species, such as the installation of bug hotels for pollinating insects and the placement of nesting boxes; the company will also manage an area of more than 160 hectares for the conservation of the habitat of birds of prey and the creation of shelters for reptiles and small amphibians”, Eni said.

In Murcia, Eni, through renewables arm Eni Plenitude SpA Società Benefit, already operates the 50-MW Cerrillares solar plant in the municipalities of Jumilla and Yecla.

Nationwide Plenitude has about 950 MW of installed solar and energy capacity, with around 400 MW added last year. These plants are spread across Galicia, La Rioja, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia and Castilla y León.

“In addition, the company has projects under construction totaling more than 1,200 MW in Andalusia, Castilla y León and Extremadura, and is developing more than 2 GW of capacity with new projects in different renewable technologies”, Eni said.

Early last year Plenitude agreed to join a partnership between BlueFloat Energy International SLU and Sener Renewable Investments aimed at developing offshore wind farms in the Iberian country.

“The agreement with Plenitude bolsters the joint venture formed by BlueFloat and Sener Renewable Investments 3 years ago, creating a leading consortium in the offshore wind sector in Spain with a total portfolio of approximately 1.25 GW [gigawatts] of floating offshore wind projects across Galicia (Parque Nordes), Catalonia (Parc Tramuntana) and the Canary Islands (Parque Tarahal)”, Eni said in a press release January 22, 2024.

Spain has set a target of raising the share of renewables in its power generation to 81 percent by 2030, with a 48 percent goal for overall energy end-use, according to the country’s “Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2023-30”. Both figures are up from the previous plan submitted to the European Union.

Globally, Eni through Plenitude plans to reach over 8 GW of installed RE capacity by 2027, and 15 GW by 2030.

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