Iberdrola has started the construction of its first two photovoltaic power plants in the Valencian Community, which will involve an investment of 252 million euros and will add a power of 366 megawatts (MW), which will help increase autonomy … autonomy energy, as the electricity company reports in a press release.
The Cofrentes I (184 MW) and Ayora 1 (182 MW) parks, both located in the province of Valencia, will generate more than 650,000 megawatt hours per year of “clean, competitive and indigenous energy, capable of providing approximately 200,000 housing units and avoid the emission into the atmosphere of 52,000 tons of CO2 per year”, detailed the company, which affirms that the construction of the two facilities will represent a “dynamization” for the local and regional economic fabric of the Ayora-Cofrentes valley, since during peak periods approximately 1,300 workers will be employed, many of whom are from the area.
The company is in contact with surrounding municipalities to offer training in the coming weeks so that unemployed people in the region can access employment. In addition, there have also been national suppliers like Ingeteam, Eiffage, Ormazabal, Mesa, OHLA, among others, which implies the “strengthening of a national business ecosystem in the renewable energy sector”, he emphasizes.
The start-up of the photovoltaic plants, scheduled for the end of 2026, will also lead to the creation of local jobs for management and maintenance tasks, to which will be added the benefit for the owners of the land on which the infrastructures will be installed, as well as for the municipalities which host them, so that the implementation of the installations will contribute to the economic development of the region.
The company, which makes photovoltaic investments selectively, linked to renewable energy sales agreements (PPA) and with investment partners, has in the region an installed production capacity of more than 4,840 MW of which more than 3,000 MW without CO2 emissions, which highlights the hydroelectric use of Cortes-La Muela, which houses the largest pumping station in Europe, an energy storage that represents a guarantee for supplying the electrical system, with nuclear energy from Cofrentes. plant.
Plan for coexistence with the environment
The Cofrentes I and Ayora 1 facilities have different projects aimed at promoting coexistence with biodiversity, which include an information and environmental education plan on renewable energies, the maintenance of relevant vegetation and corridors to improve connectivity, as well as ponds to increase and improve aquatic habitats in the animal refuge area.
Compensation for habitat areas of community interest will also be carried out, which will involve the recovery of abandoned land near the location of the installations. Perimeter agroforestry plantations are also envisaged, among other measures, for the landscape integration of photovoltaic power plants.
To monitor the evolution of the environment of the new facilities, two wildlife monitoring studies will be carried out, in the case of Cofrentes I on the use of the territory by the golden eagle and the Bonelli’s eagle, in collaboration with the University of Valencia and, in the case of Ayora 1, on the steppe birds of the area, in addition to the creation of a wildlife reserve of more than 90 hectares.
These actions are part of Iberdrola’s Guest program, which was created with the aim of being a “continuous improvement plan that integrates all initiatives and alliances for the coexistence between renewable energies and their contribution to socio-economic development and the conservation of biodiversity”.
Socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation are two “key” elements of the company’s decarbonization strategy, in order to demonstrate that “the supply of clean and sustainable energy can and must coexist with society and nature, which is why maintaining environmental balance and contributing to social and economic development is a fundamental element of Iberdrola”.
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