Enel, through its Brazilian renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power Brasil Participações Ltda. (“EGPB”), has begun operation of its 103 MW Horizonte solar park, which is located in the municipality of Tabocas do Brejo Velho, in the north-eastern state of Bahia.
“The entry into service of Horizonte marks a new milestone for the Group’s presence in the Brazilian solar market, where in just over eight months we added four projects for a total capacity of 807 MW, which include South America’s largest PV facility currently in operation, Nova Olinda,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel’s Global Renewable Energies Division, Enel Green Power.
“We are confirming our leadership in the Brazilian renewable sector, as is also acknowledged by the Group’s latest tender wins, therefore contributing to the diversification of the country’s generation mix and the sustainable development of local communities.”
Enel invested approximately 110 million US dollars in the construction of Horizonte, as part of the investments foreseen in the company’s current strategic plan, and is financed through Enel Group’s own resources, as well as by a long-term financing provided by Banco do Nordeste (“BNB”). The solar park is supported by a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Brazilian Chamber of Commercialisation of Electric Energy (Câmara de Comercialização da Energia Elétrica, CCEE).
The Horizonte solar facility is comprised of almost 330,000 solar panels and will be able to produce more than 220 GWh per year once fully operational.
In line with the Enel Group’s Creating Shared Value (CSV) model, which aims to combine business development and local community needs, EGPB has carried out initiatives to enable income generation for the communities neighbouring the plant, such as creative workshops for the manufacturing of furniture from recycled materials used in construction works.
In the state of Bahia, EGPB already operates 706 MW of wind capacity and 515 MW of solar capacity, which include, in addition to Horizonte, the 254 MW Ituverava and the 158 MW Lapa solar parks.
In Brazil, the Enel Group, through its subsidiaries EGPB and Enel Brasil, has a total installed renewable capacity of nearly 2.9 GW, of which 842 MW from wind power, 819 MW from solar PV and 1,270 MW from hydro. The company has also been recently awarded contracts for a total renewable capacity of over 1 GW in the A-4 and A-6 Brazilian tenders.
Enel Green Power, the Renewable Energies division of Enel Group, is dedicated to the development and operation of renewables across the world, with a presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector with a managed capacity of around 40 GW across a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydropower, and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewables power plants.