Enel Green Power Brasil, the Brazilian subsidiary of the Enel group that deals with renewables, has connected to the grid the 475 MW section of the São Gonçalo photovoltaic plant, the largest plant in the country located in the central-northern state of Piauí, in Brazil.
“The connection – GP explains in a note – took place over a year before the deadline established by the rules of the 4 A-2017 tender, called by the Brazilian federal government through the national energy regulatory authority, the Agência Nacional de Electric Energy (ANEEL)”.
To build the 475 MW section of the plant, Enel GP has invested approximately 1,4 billion Brazilian reals, equivalent to about 390 million US dollars.
“São Gonçalo is Enel's first plant in Brazil to use bifacial solar modules that capture energy on both surfaces of the panel, with an expected increase in electricity production of up to 18%,” highlights Enel Green Power, according to which a at full capacity, the 475 MW section of the plant will be able to generate more than 1.200 GWh per year, avoiding the emission of more than 600 thousand tons of CO into the atmosphere2. In detail, of the 475 MW of installed capacity, 265 MW are supported by twenty-year energy supply contracts with a group of distribution companies operating in the country's regulated market, while the remaining 210 MW should generate energy for the free market.
“Commissioning our largest solar plant in Brazil well ahead of schedule is an important achievement for our business in the country, confirming our leadership and expertise in the Brazilian PV market. The completion of São Gonçalo also underscores our ability to build large solar plants quickly and efficiently, while ensuring the highest safety standards at all our construction sites throughout the entire construction process,” says Antonio Cammisecra, CEO of Enel Green Power. “We will continue to play a fundamental role in the development of the Brazilian photovoltaic sector, which represents an important part of the diversification and resilience of this country's generation mix.”
Finally, it should be remembered that in August 2019, Enel announced the start of construction of a 133 MW expansion of the São Gonçalo solar park, for which the company has invested approximately 422 million Brazilian reals (about 110 million US dollars). This operation will raise the total capacity of the plant to 608 MW, guaranteeing the production of 1.500 GWh per year.
Overall in Brazil, the Enel group has a total installed renewable capacity of approximately 2,9 GW, of which 782 MW from wind, 845 MW from photovoltaic and 1.269 MW from hydroelectric.
