ERG inaugurates a photovoltaic power plant in Castilla y León

A photovoltaic park of 275,000 modules on 224 hectares, as big as 135 football fields, among the vineyards of Toro (Zamora), in the northwest of Spain.
It is the Garnacha solar installation, acquired by ERG in June 2023 from the German group Iìib vogt GmbH, with an installed capacity of 149 MWP.
A reality already operational in one of the most valuable environmental enclaves in the heart of Castilla y León, along the Duero, inaugurated today by the historic Italian energy group.
“In Spain we have taken the first steps of our energy transition journey,” recalled, before cutting the ribbon, the president Edoardo Garrone. “A transformation that led ERG from being a primary operator in the sector to an exclusive operator in the wind and solar sector.

The event was attended by the group’s management, the executive vice president, Alessandro Garrone, the vice president Giovanni Mondini and representatives of local authorities, including the deputy minister of Castilla y León, Rubén Rodríguez Lucas.
“This is a country that is more advanced than many others in the development of renewable energies and has many development possibilities ahead,” said Edoardo Garrone, explaining the importance of the investment in “the largest solar plant we have in Europe.”
Garnacha is equipped with bifacial photovoltaic panels and a state-of-the-art tracker system, which allows it to reach a capacity factor of 22% with an estimated production of 280 GWH per year.
Clean energy for the energy needs of 53,000 families and which will avoid the emission of 136 Kt tonnes of CO2 per year.
70% of the electricity produced by the plant It also benefits from a 12-year power purchase agreement (PRA) with Google.
“Since 2021, we have so far invested 300 million euros in Spain to reach 226 MW of installed solar capacity, which we hope to increase in the coming years, mainly through the development of a 1 GW solar portfolio of new projects located in Castilla y León, Extremadura and the Balearic Islands,” said the president of the ERG.
A total metamorphosis if one takes into account that the initial landing on Cervantes land dates back to 1999 with the acquisition of a network of service stations that operated for a decade. In the country, ERG achieved an important positioning, in line with the objectives of the industrial plan for geographical and technological diversification 2024-2026. “Today ERG has almost 4 GW of installed solar and wind capacity, operates in 11 countries in Europe and the United States and employs around 660 people,” recalled Garrone.
A strategic commitment to clean energy that goes beyond production. “The environmental impact statement was a key step in order to be able to operate in Garnacha,” explained Marco Longoni, managing director of ERG Spain.
“It establishes certain rules according to which the authorities evaluate the compensation measures to safeguard the environment,” he pointed out.
“The Garnacha plan establishes that for the 224 hectares of occupation we must develop environmental protection activities on a surface equivalent to 224 hectares. And it is the agronomic plan that we are developing in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León,” he concluded.