It has the capacity to cover the average consumption of about 30,000 homes per year.
For a few weeks, the first of the large photovoltaic plants planned in Jerez since the ‘boom’ of this type of facilities began in the municipality, is already operational. As reported weeks ago by the investment fund Everwood Capital, the facilities, whose construction works concluded last September, are already producing and selling energy.
Currently, the owner of the facilities is the investment fund that acquired the project from its original promoter, Abei Energy, which has two other photovoltaic projects in the vicinity of the Sanlúcar Highway and has been in charge of executing the construction and start it up.
The Cortijo de Frías solar plant (whose commercial name is Cartuja) has an installed power of 50 megawatts and has an annual production capacity of more than 100,000 megawatt hours (mwh), the equivalent of an average annual electricity consumption of more than 30,000 homes, as the company explained.
Additionally, Everwood Capital announced months ago an agreement to hedge the price of energy (technically it is called a ‘PPA’) with the energy trading company Axpo. This has insured 60% of the plant’s production while the rest is sold at the market price.
The company points out that, since its commissioning, this plant will directly employ three full-time people for operation and maintenance tasks, plus another three for security tasks. However, during its construction it has generated about 150, according to the company.
Likewise, the company pointed out that both during its construction and since its entry into operation it is carrying out an environmental monitoring plan executed by an independent consultant and supervised by the environmental authorities. In addition, an environmental restoration plan is being carried out so that the land returns to its original state once the works have been completed and the pre-existing vegetation is restored.
