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New 11.4 MWp solar power plant for Spain

EDF Energies Nouvelles commissions an 11.4 MWp solar power plant in Spain Continuing the deployment of its solar energy activities, EDF Energies Nouvelles has announced the commissioning of the Casatejada solar photovoltaic power plant in Spain, with an installed capacity of 11.4 MWp.

Located in the Extremadura region, in the south-west of Spain, the Casatejada ground-based solar power plant is equipped with 152,400 photovoltaic panels, based on thin-film technology, supplied by First Solar.

The power plant annual output is equivalent to the annual consumption of more than 11,000 people. The Casatejada power plant is 90%-owned by the EDF Energies Nouvelles group via Fotosolar, its local solar energy subsidiary.

Following the recent commissioning of the power plants of Arnprior (23.4 MWp) in Canada and La Roseraye (10.5 MWp) on Reunion Island, EDF Energies Nouvelles signs at Casatejada another large- scale photovoltaic project. The Group’s solar energy capacity in Spain now stands at 18.1 MWp gross.

AES Solar Energy Closes on €173 Million Project

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Financing for 43 MW Photovoltaic Project in Italy Agreed AES Solar Energy Ltd (AES Solar), a joint venture between The AES Corporation and Riverstone Holdings LLC, announced that one of its subsidiaries closed on long-term project financing facilities of €173 million to finance the construction of the Cellino San Marco (CSM) project, a 43 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) facility located in the Puglia region of Italy. CSM is the largest solar PV project in Italy to reach financial close.

A total of five banks participated in this financing: Société Générale (as Documentation, Technical & Modeling Bank and Hedging Coordinator), Unicredit Mediocredito Centrale (as Documentation Bank), BNP Paribas (as Insurance Bank), Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Dexia Crediop (as Agent). SACE is taking this opportunity to step up its involvement in financing solar PV projects, participating via providing a guarantee for a portion of Société Générale’s commitment. The facilities cover approximately 85% of estimated project costs at completion and the final maturity date is 18 years post construction.

Massimiliano Battisti, a Managing Director at Société Générale, one of the coordinating banks in this transaction remarked, “While the Italian regulatory environment makes solar PV a highly attractive investment, its dynamics make innovative financing solutions necessary. This poses a significant barrier to entry for less sophisticated investors. In this environment we believe that it is very important to have partners like AES Solar who are among the most experienced sponsors in this sector, as they have both the industry and the financial expertise as well as the ability to understand the subtleties of the local market to enable them to successfully deliver the project.”

Construction on the project is underway and the project is expected to reach commercial operation by the end of 2010, qualifying it for a 20-year regulated feed-in tariff under the “Conto Energia” scheme. CSM will use First Solar thin film panels.

The addition of the 43 MW CSM will more than double the global operating portfolio of AES Solar, which currently includes 38 MW across France, Greece and Spain. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104