Plenitude has started the construction of a new 90 MW solar plant in the municipality of Fortuna, in the Region of Murcia, in Spain. The groundbreaking ceremony, held today, was attended also by representatives of the Government, the Region of Murcia and the City Council.

This new plant will be developed over an area of around 120 hectares and will be connected to the distribution grid via a 6 km underground medium-voltage line at 30 kV and a 30/132 kV substation. The plant will have around 150.000 bifacial modules and solar tracking technology, which is expected to ensure a production of more than 185,000 MWh per year, contributing to the generation of energy from renewable sources.

The construction of the plant will be carried out by Negratin, one of the most important Spanish companies globally operating in the renewable field, together with local contractors and leading international solar technology manufacturers. 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 start of construction of La Flota plant reaffirms our commitment to the energy transition in Spain, promoting the development of renewable projects that combine innovation and technology with the attention for the territory. La Flota solar plant will contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy system, also generating environmental and socio-economic benefits for the Region of Murcia, in line with our business strategy and development plan in the country’, explained Mariangiola Mollicone, Head of Renewables in Western Europe and Managing Director of Plenitude Renewables Spain.

With this new project, Plenitude, in fact, reinforces its commitment to the protection of biodiversity and the territory.

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.

Moreover, in addition to the La Flota solar plant, the company will finance the construction of photovoltaic plants with a capacity of 200 kW, on the roofs of three public buildings.

Plenitude, in the Region of Murcia, has already built and currently operates the Cerrillares solar plant, in the municipalities of Jumilla and Yecla, with an installed capacity of 50 MW. This project has recently received the UNEF Certificate of Excellence in Sustainability, a distinction that highlights the work of the company and its commitment to the highest parameters of social and environmental integration and that develops the best practices of circular economy.

Plenitude, a company controlled by Eni, currently has approximately 950 MW of installed capacity in photovoltaic and wind energy in Spain, with projects in communities such as 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.