GRS has begun the construction of a photovoltaic plant for BNZ in Vila Nova de Famalicao, with a total capacity of 49 MW. This is the company’s seventh project in Portugal, one of its key markets along with Spain and Australia. The Famalicao plant will produce enough energy to supply the annual electricity needs of approximately 14,000 households. The clean energy produced at this plant will avoid the emission of 21,500 tons of CO2 equivalent per year, which represents about 18,000 round trips by car between Lisbon and Paris. Additionally, BNZ estimates that it will create between 61 to 72 direct and indirect jobs by 2025, when the plant opens.
GRS will be in charge of building the solar power plant, in collaboration with Triple Watt, a Portuguese business group dedicated to the development of projects to create clean and renewable energy, which is participating in the process as the responsible engineer. This is the first project in Portugal of the independent power producer BNZ, which plans to install a capacity of approximately 600 MWp in the country by 2026.
“A more sustainable future”
For BNZ CEO Luis Selva, “it is with great pleasure that we take our first step in fulfilling our commitment to 100% renewable energy production and accelerating the energy transition in Portugal. This is the result of the work we have been developing in recent months with Vila Nova de Famalicao to ensure that the promotion of a more sustainable future moves forward hand in hand with the growth of local communities, a fundamental principle that is at the core of BNZ’s DNA.”
Jordi Francesch, head of Asset Management at Nuveen Infrastructure, parent company of BNZ, said that “this commitment is a clear sign of our commitment to investing in renewable projects in Portugal, which offers so many opportunities to respond in a sustainable way to the current climate emergency and political instability. We will work hard to continue promoting this type of projects, which are also responsible for the creation of local wealth and jobs”.
For his part, Iván Higueras, Gransolar Group CEO, highlighted the importance of this collaboration with BNZ in the promotion of photovoltaic energy in the Iberian Peninsula. “Almost two decades of experience have allowed us to gain in-depth knowledge of the particularities of such interesting markets as Portugal and Spain, and to propose projects of maximum efficiency and profitability here. All this, hand in hand with strategic partners, such as BNZ,” he says.
