Located in the Spanish municipality of Belvis de Monroy, the new installation represents a significant step forward in the utility giant’s strategy to enhance its energy storage capabilities, which will, in the words of CEO Mario Ruiz-Tagle, “support new demand requiring firm capacity and accelerate the electrification of the Spanish economy.”

The newly installed facility at the Belvis de Monroy consists of two LFP lithium-ion battery modules of roughly 60 MWh each, integrated with the existing solar plants so the site can store excess photovoltaic production and supply it to the system during periods of higher demand—an increasingly essential capability as renewable penetration in Spain continues to expand.

The inauguration was attended by regional and national representatives, including the regional minister of industry, energy, science and territory of Extremadura, Mercedes Moran Alvarez; the government delegate in the region, Jose Luis Quintana; and Julio Castro, CEO of Iberdrola Energia Sostenible Espana, alongside mayors and local officials of Belvis de Monroy.

As per Ruiz-Tagle, projects like Campo Aranuelo are pioneering efforts within the Spanish energy sector and demonstrate how electrification can progress at a steady and reliable pace. He also noted that Iberdrola has long been committed to energy storage and currently operates the vast majority of its battery storage capacity in Spain, with nearly 200 MW in service.

“This new installation constitutes a top-tier investment for Extremadura, reinforcing its position as an emerging energy hub that brings together generation capacity, technological innovation and system stability. Energy storage is crucial for unlocking the region’s exceptional photovoltaic potential and ensuring that the energy transition translates into industrial development, employment and new opportunities for local communities,” Mercedes Moran Alvarez said.

Iberdrola’s project received support from the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) through its grant programme for innovative storage solutions paired with renewable facilities under the PERTE ERHA framework. With the commissioning of this new battery system, Iberdrola Espana now strengthens Extremadura’s standing as a leader in renewable innovation and storage within the European country.

The Campo Aranuelo I and II photovoltaic plants consist of two photovoltaic plants (50 MWp), a transformer substation and a high-voltage evacuation line. It occupies an area of 200 hectares and has the capacity to produce around 167 GWh renewable energy per year. The project has a total of 256,590 photovoltaic modules installed on a fixed structure, 52 inverters and 18 transformers of 4,920 and 3,280 kVAs.

The energy generated by the photovoltaic panels gets transported by the internal grid at 30 kV before being transformed to 132 kV at the Photovoltaic Plant Almaraz substation. It is then evacuated to the distribution substation via a high-voltage line, comprising a 2.6 km overhead section and a 0.5 km underground section.

CEMOSA, the leading Spanish engineering consultancy and quality control company specialising in transport infrastructure and civil engineering, was awarded the technical assistance-related responsibilities by IBERDROLA. Under the arrangement, CEMOSA helped the 125-year-old Spanish multinational electric utility company in the construction of the two photovoltaic plants, the transformer substation and the high-voltage evacuation line.

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Sonnedix is one of the largest solar independent power producers in the world. That said, Natixis is a French multinational financial services company focused on insurance, payments, asset and wealth management. It is the second-largest banking group in France. 

It is reported that the Sonnedix PMGD portfolio comprises solar photovoltaic projects operating under the country’s special regime for distributed generated projects.

Axel Thiemann, CEO of Sonnedix, told the media, “This financing allows us to further expand our presence in the Chilean market and helps establishing Sonnedix as a strong contributor to the country’s long-term commitment to renewables and stable regulatory environment. We continue actively seeking opportunities to invest and develop projects that will help achieve key strategic goals for the country’s power system.”

Earlier this month, Sonnedix purchased fully operating solar photovoltaic parks in Spain. These parks have a capacity of 4.6 MW, media reports said.

The parks were acquired from Aurea Capital Partners and two Spanish family offices, media reports said. With that, Sonnedix holds 256 MWp of capacity in Spain. Aurea Capital Partners is an investment management company based in Madrid.

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In addition, Shams Power is helping the UAE prepare for the next 50 years on the clean energy front. In fact, Shams’ 100MW plant is the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world spanning 2.5 km2.

Majed Al Awadhi, General Manager, Shams Power Company, told the media, “Looking back over the past seven operating years, and almost 10 years since the commencement of this project, we are proud and privileged to be a part of this visionary venture. By undertaking this investment, UAE leaders were among the first in the world and in the Mena region who recognised the importance of clean energy, sustainability and diversification for growth.”

Shams is located 120 kms from Abu Dhabi. Currently, it powers more than 20,000 homes and replaces 175,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, media reports said.K

Halaf Abdullah Rahma Al Hammadi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Pension Fund told the media, “Our journey towards excellence and success relies on building bridges of cooperation with unique entities in all fields. This has been achieved over the past years through our fruitful partnership and successful investment in Shams Power Company, which has seen many achievements worldwide in the field of clean energy.”

In an effort to support the UAE’s clean energy transition, the company will soon be launching the Al Dhafrah Innovation Centre, focused on providing knowledge about sustainability development, renewable energy and clean energy projects.

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Most of Kenya’s electricity demand is being met by renewable sources such as hydroelectricity, followed by geothermal sources. But Kenya’s solar energy is still small compared to other sources.

Kenya’s Ministry of Energy tweeted that the 50MW solar plant has increased the share of renewable energy in Kenya’s energy mix to more than 90 percent.

The output for annual power supply from the project is 100,000 MWH and it will meet the power demand of 70,000 households, which is equivalent to half of the population of Garissa.

The project, which was recently launched by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, was designed and developed by China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Co-operation (CJIC), by collaborating with Kenya’s Rural Energy Authority (REA).

President Uhuru Kenyatta revealed that the project, which is close to the borders of Somalia, is part of the government’s plan to generate 400 MW of electricity from solar sources.

He told the media, “We want money allocated for development to go to the right projects but not the pockets of a few people. You, the people, are our employers and you have the right to hold us as leaders to account to make sure your money is used properly.”

He added, “I see that the gap that existed is being reduced. We are developing our country uniformly from Moyale to Namanga from Mombasa to Lake Victoria.”

Peter Mbugua, chief executive officer of REA revealed that the project was commissioned in 2018 and it created more than 600 jobs.

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