Enel Green Power acquires solar projects from Arena Power

The 11 projects forming this cluster are on six sites in the province of Huelva: Palma del Condado, Gibraleón, Trigueros, San Juan del Puerto, Beas and Niebla. All of them will evacuate the power generated, and have a capacity to supply electricity to approximately 305 000 homes by a single transmission line, which will be connected to the Palos substation. This substation is located in the Huelva Industrial Park, one of the largest energy-consuming industrial centres in Spain.

The substation will meet the energy requirements of the chemical, oil and metallurgical centre in Huelva, which hosts 18 companies and 19 large industrial facilities. The combination of the highest levels of solar radiation in continental Europe and the large local consumption make this cluster one of the most attractive portfolios in Spain. EGPE will thus be helping to decarbonise part of the energy consumption of this cluster, avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of approximately 515 134.66 t of CO₂.

The solar farms bought by Enel Green Power represent an investment of approximately €350 million, including the acquisition price of the projects and their construction and start-up. They will generate 1250 jobs during the construction phase and 26 during subsequent operation and maintenance.

Moreover, the renewable power will be operational and ready to eventually feed the green hydrogen production project presented by EGPE to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.

EGPE had a total installed capacity of renewables of 7800 MW and a project portfolio of 41 800 MW in Spain at the close of 2020. The installed capacity includes 4,45 MW of hydraulic power; 2422 MW of wind power; 609 MW of solar power; and 3 MW of other renewable sources. It is one of the leaders in the energy transition process in Spain. The 2021 - 2023 strategic plan includes the development through EGPE of 3900 MW of new renewable capacity in Spain (3000 MW PV and 900 MW wind), with an associated investment of €3.3 billion.

In December 2020, Enel Green Power started up four PV plants in Andalusia, Spain, in the provinces of Seville and Malaga, with 186 MW of capacity. This puts Enel Green Power’s total operational renewable capacity in Andalusia at the close of last year at 1611.29 MW (1020.41 MW hydroelectric, 333.92 MW wind, 256.5 MW PV and 0.46 MW biomass). EGPE is also constructing 80 MW of solar PV in the Sol de Casaquemada projects in Sanlúcar la Mayor (province of Seville) and San Antonio in the city of Huelva. Finally, the necessary procedures for the construction of six more solar PV farms are at the point of completion. Their construction will begin soon in Malaga and Seville, contributing a further 251.5 MW of clean energy.

In total, Enel Green Power's renewable subsidiary has a total of 517.5 MW of capacity, either under construction, at an advanced stage of prior administrative processing, or recently started-up in the community, representing a firm path towards decarbonisation.

This deal is also the first transaction by Arena Power, which is currently working on a 1 GW pipeline in Spain. The company was created in 2019 with the goal of becoming an independent power producer (IPP) in Spanish renewable energy markets and in hydrogen storage. It received advice during the deal from ATA Renewables (Technical), Ramón & Cajal (Legal), CMS (Regulatory), Garrido (Tax) and Voltiq (Financial). Following the acquisition, the company will continue EGPE's development process until all the projects achieve the status of ready for construction.

Enel Green Power, within the Enel Group, is engaged in the development and operation of renewables worldwide, with a presence in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. It is a global leader in green energy and has installed capacity of almost 49 GW, with a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric.

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