The Cerca photovoltaic plant begins operation, delivering the renewable capacity assigned to EDP Renewables in Portugal’s first solar energy auction. The project has a 202 MWp capacity, sufficient to power nearly 100,000 households.
EDP now owns 540 MWp of solar capacity in Portugal, a technology crucial for the country’s energy transition. This milestone was achieved with the commissioning of EDP Renewables’ largest solar plant in Europe, located in the Lisbon district. Situated in the municipalities of Alenquer and Azambuja, the Cerca Photovoltaic Plant features an installed capacity of 202 MWp and over 310 thousand bifacial solar panels, capable of absorbing solar energy from both sides, thus maximizing its conversion into renewable electricity.
This marks the first of the highest-capacity solar plants awarded in the 2019 public auction to commence operations, once again demonstrating EDP’s commitment to the country’s energy transition and its objectives to lead renewable projects’ development in Portugal.
With an estimated annual production of 330 GWh, this project will generate renewable electricity sufficient to directly supply around 100,000 families, or approximately 1% of the national population. By producing electricity from solar energy, it will prevent the emission of 170 thousand tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the environmental footprint of a billion kilometers traveled by a combustion engine car.
“We are proud to have commissioned the Cerca Plant, a project EDP committed to delivering despite the complex context of recent years, including the pandemic’s impacts, geopolitical situation, and rising costs of energy sector raw materials. This is our largest solar project in Europe, a source of energy Portugal should significantly harness to accelerate its energy transition. At EDP, we are looking at dozens of new solar projects that will make a significant contribution to this path,” highlights Duarte Bello, EDP Renewables Chief Operating Officer for Europe & LatAm.
EDP has increasingly invested in solar projects globally, both large-scale and decentralized solar energy plants, making this technology one of its main avenues of growth. By 2026, half of the company’s global investment will be in large-scale solar projects, as well as decentralized generation. The company has 4.3 GWp of installed solar capacity, with standout projects including Pereira Barreto (203 MWp) in Brazil, Los Cuervos (200 MWp) in Mexico, and Xuan Thien (199 MWp) in Vietnam. In decentralized solar, EDP boasts over 1.7 GWp of installed capacity across the four global regions where it operates.
Committed to Portugal’s decarbonization for nearly three decades, EDP recently inaugurated the country’s second hybrid project combining wind and solar energy in Penela and Ansião, in the municipalities of Coimbra and Leiria, adding the Monte de Vez solar plant to the São João Wind Farm, which has been in operation since 2008, nearly doubling the capacity to supply renewable electricity to the same grid connection point. Between developing hybrid projects and new wind and solar installations, EDP Renewables aims to commission an additional 1 GW of renewable energy in Portugal by 2026.
