TotalEnergies received a positive Environmental Impact Assessment from the Ministry of Energy Transition and Autonomous Communities, Spain, for approximately 3 GW of installed capacity.
The EIA is in relation to 48 solar power plants of TotalEnergies across Spain, including in Madrid (1.9 GW), in Murcia (more than 305 MW), in Castilla-La Mancha (more than 300 MW), in Andalusia (263 MW), and in Aragon (around 150 MW).
The first set of projects is scheduled to be completed by early 2024. Together, the plants will produce approximately 6,000 GWh of clean energy annually to fulfill the electricity needs of around 4 million people in the region. The solar plants will also prevent the emission of around 50 million tons of carbon dioxide.
As part of the project, TotalEnergies will implement a range of compensatory initiatives, such as:
- bird marking to monitor behavior;
- leasing an additional 400 hectares for conservation; and
- allocating 1.5% of the output to support electricity bill discounts for the local population.
In addition to the above, they will offer construction, and operation & maintenance training to residents living in nearby municipalities.
Through these solar projects, TotalEnergies will help Spain achieve its target of producing 70% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 and 100% by the middle of this century.
Speaking about the development, Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies, said, “With 2 million residential and business customers in Spain, our Company is firmly committed to promoting the development of renewable energy in the country. Obtaining this favorable environmental impact assessment is therefore a great step forward for us.”
He also added, “For Spain, the development of these solar farms will make a massive contribution to the country’s energy transition, as they will be able to power the equivalent of the population of the entire community of Madrid. For TotalEnergies, these projects will bring us closer to our goal of 100 GW of gross renewable installed capacity by 2030 worldwide.”
