Voltalia, an international renewable energy group, has signed a long-term solar power sales agreement with Copel

Copel's new 260 MW solar power plant will be located in the Brazilian wind farm of Serra Branca, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the largest wind and solar power facility in the world.

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“Thanks to this contract, Voltalia reaches 1,9 GW of successfully developed projects in our Serra Branca cluster. This new success highlights the quality of our wind and solar park, which attracts local utilities as well as international companies looking to obtain clean energy. With 0,5GW of additional potential at Serra Branca and the development of our new 1GW farm at Canudos, along with other smaller sites, we are a leading producer of renewable energy in Brazil. I am very proud of the Voltalia teams and appreciate their commitment, especially in the present context”, commented Sébastien Clerc, Executive Chairman of Voltalia.

260 MW solar power plant in partnership with Copel

Voltalia, in partnership with Copel, will build a 260 MW solar plant (SSM 3 to 6) and will also supply solar energy to Copel through a 14-year contract, starting in 2023. The SSM 3 to 6 projects must be commissioned in the first half of 2022, before the start of long-term energy sales contracts, with anticipated production being sold under a short-term contract already signed with Copel.

Some of the construction work on Copel's power plant is expected to take place at the same time as the SSM 1 and 2 solar farm. By pooling resources for SSM 1 to 6, Voltalia will achieve significant economies of scale at all stages, with the same team O&M servicing the two solar plants.

Solar Energy, a competitive source of energy

Clean energy now accounts for 0,5GW at Voltalia's 2,4GW facility in Serra Branca, the world's largest wind and solar farm.

The two energy sources are complementary, as the wind blows mainly at night in Serra Branca. This new contract with Copel demonstrates the attractiveness and competitiveness of solar energy, the cost of which has dropped considerably: -82% between 2010 and 2019 (source IRENA).

Today, renewable energy represents 20% of the total installed capacity of Voltalia. The Company intends to further expand this technology in its three main regions, with an additional 1 GW of solar capacity already contracted.