Iberdrola España receives approval to build two photovoltaic plants in Valencia
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The facilities, located in the Ayora-Cofrentes Valley, will have a total capacity of 366 megawatts (MW) and will require an investment of €260 million
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The plants will generate clean and local energy to supply 200,000 homes, create 1,300 jobs during peak construction periods and have various projects to promote coexistence with biodiversity
Iberdrola España has obtained the building permit for Cofrentes I (184 MW) and Ayora 1 (182 MW) photovoltaic plants, both in the province of Valencia. These plants will produce clean and local energy to supply around 200,000 homes and prevent the emission of 124,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere annually.
The Cofrentes I PV plant is located in the municipalities of Ayora and Zarra and will have around 400,000 fixed-structure PV modules, capable of generating 332,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year − which represents the equivalent to the consumption of over 100,000 homes. The planned investment for this photovoltaic plant is €130 million and it is estimated that up to 650 jobs will be created during peak construction periods.
FV Ayora 1 is located in the capital of the Ayora-Cofrentes Valley region and will also have around 400,000 fixed-structure PV modules. This plant will produce around 319,000 MWh/year − which represents the equivalent to 100,000 homes − and will create around 650 jobs during peak periods for its construction.
In addition to the jobs needed for installing the plant, the commissioning will create jobs for management and maintenance tasks, to which must be added the financial gain for the owners of the plots of land on which the photovoltaic plants will be located and for the local councils themselves. Thus, the implementation of both plants will contribute to the local economic development.
To these Iberdrola España’s projects should be added the following three in the province of Alicante: FV Alhorines Villena, 50 MW; FV Biar, 45.5 MW; and FV Alcoi, 49 MW. The company plans to continue growing in the Valencia region, where it has an installed generation capacity of over 4,840 megawatts (MW), of which over 3,000 MW are free of CO2 emissions, including the Cortes-La Muela hydroelectric plant, which houses the largest pumping station in Europe − an energy storage facility that guarantees the supply of the electricity system.
Coexistence with biodiversity
The Cofrentes I and Ayora 1 photovoltaic plants will have different projects to promote coexistence with biodiversity, including an information and environmental education plan on renewable energies, maintenance of relevant vegetation and corridors to improve connectivity, as well as ponds to increase and improve aquatic habitats in the area for animal shelter.
Compensation will also be made for areas of habitats of community interest, which will involve the recovery of abandoned land near the location of the photovoltaic plants, on which vegetation screens will be installed. In order to monitor the evolution of the new facilities’ surroundings, studies will be carried out on the use of the territory by golden eagles and Bonelli's eagles, as well as by the species of the area, such as the lesser kestrel, little bustard, black-bellied sandgrouse and great bustard.
These actions are part of Iberdrola España's Convive Programme to develop a continuous improvement plan including all the initiatives taken and alliances for the coexistence of renewable energies and their contribution to socioeconomic development and biodiversity conservation.
Socioeconomic development and biodiversity conservation are two key elements of our decarbonisation strategy, demonstrating that the supply of clean and sustainable energy can and must coexist with society and nature. Maintaining environmental balance and contributing to social and economic development are a fundamental part of Iberdrola España.