The agreement has been signed with Banco Santander, La Caixa and BBVA for two solar photovoltaic projects in Tordesillas (Valladolid) and Valtierra (Navarra), which together have a capacity of 22 MWp. The capital financed amounts to EUR 100 million.
This signing is the ‘finishing touch’ for 2009, a year where OPDE has financed, built and connected a total of 28.38 MWp in Spain. This figure has put the company into the top post in the ranking of construction- developers of photovoltaic solar power in Spain in 2009 with a 20% market share in ground plants built in the country, a position held since 2008 with a then consolidated turnover of EUR 560 million.
Specifically, the completed projects throughout this year were the solar farms within the framework of the RD 661 located in Belvis de Monroy (Caceres), with 1.87 MWp, Toro (Zamora), 4.4 MWp; and new solar plants Valtierra (Navarra), 11 MWp, and Tordesillas (Valladolid), also 11 MWp, earmarked within the RD 1578. These photovoltaic solar farms have been funded through a Santander Bank Club Deal, La Caixa and BBVA with over EUR 125 million, in the form of Project Finance for these solar plants.
In the construction of these projects MECASOLAR 1- Axis Azimuth seasonal trackers were used; TRINA modules and SMA inverters, technologies that OPDE have been working with for years and have obtained the highest plant yields in the Group to date.
According to reports from Ramon Tejadas, Director General of the OPDE Group, the company has now on its books new photovoltaic solar farms in La Lora (Valladolid, 2.75 MWp)-connected and in operation under the first call of the RD 1578 – and in Ecija ( Seville), of 1.76 MWp-the latter recently obtained in the 4th call of the RD 1578/2008. Both projects will also be financially structured during the first quarter of 2010.
Forecasts for 2010 OPDE point towards building another 20 MW in Spain.
According to Ramon Tejadas, the end of the year has been a "complete success" for OPDE and also shows "that both cost-effective photovoltaic projects, with predictable cash flows, and companies like Group OPDE with solvent and strengthened balance sheets, continue to have important options for financing projects in a difficult financial environment. " In fact, he adds, the recently signed 22 MWp Project Finance was structured and signed in just two months
With the projects closed throughout 2009, OPDE has reached a record figure of 115 MW promoted and built in Spain over the past five years (2004-2009).
SUCCESS IN ITALY
Apart from its projects in Spain, OPDE finished in the south of Italy (Puglia) the construction and connection of various solar photovoltaic plants with a capacity of 6 MW, located in the towns of Ginosa, Ruatella, Lucera and Foggia. These projects have been funded by UBI Leasing and Fineco.
These projects can be added to the recent signing by the OPDE Group-OPDE, MECASOLAR, PROINSO and RIOS projects, of an agreement with the Government of the Italian region of Piedmont for the promotion and construction of various solar photovoltaic plants along 2010 reaching, in the first stage, 30 MW of power and 75 MW accumulated in the second. / /
OPDE (www.opde.net) comprises the companies OPDE, MECASOLAR, PROINSO and RIOS. The first is specialized in the global promotion and construction of solar photovoltaic plants. MECASOLAR focuses its activity on the design and manufacture of solar trackers and fixed structures. PROINSO is dedicated to providing REC and TRINA modules, fixed structures and tracking, as well as SMA inverters, becoming the first international distributor of these leading global brands in the sector, with over 100 MW of modules and 140 MW of inverters supplied. RIOS is the company responsible for Civil Works, as well as engineering and installation work and low, medium and high voltage work.
OPDE currently employs 300 people. The plants promoted and built directly by OPDE in the 2004-2009 period, have together a total capacity of 115 MW, producing an equivalent annual energy consumption of 75,466 households (225 GWh). The OPDE Group companies in 2008 exceeded EUR 560 million of consolidated turnover and, currently, the solar photovoltaic company is strategically committed to internationalization. It has tracker factories in the U.S. (California), Greece and Italy, countries where it has it own companies.
