Spain’s auction allocates 3.5 GW of solar PV capacity

PV Magazine

Around 3,516 MW of solar projects were selected in Spain’s renewable energy auction for large-scale solar and wind power plants held by the Spanish Ministry of Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda.

According to provisional data provided to pv magazine by Elisa Noli, the spokeswoman of Spanish solar association UNEF, the share of wind power, which is traditionally Spain’s largest renewable energy source, was just 720 MW.

Cobra, a unit of Spanish industrial group ACS, achieved the largest share of PV with 1.55 GW of assigned projects, followed by X-Elio (455 MW), Endesa (338 MW), Forestalia (316 MW), Gas Natural Fenosa (250 MW), Solaria Energía (250 MW), Prodiel (182 MW), Greenalia (133 MW) Alter (50 MW), Gestamp Wind (24 MW) and Alten (13 MW).

Projects selected in the auction must begin delivering power to the country’s grid on Jan. 1, 2020. More details about the auction will likely be provided by the ministry tomorrow.

Overall, the Spanish government has allocated around 4.22 GW through the auction, although it was originally planned to assign 3 GW of contracts.

This was due to the auction’s bidding rules, which allow for an increase in allocated capacity in the case of bids being tied between developers. However, this must not come at an additional cost for the government.

“This is an historical day for the PV sector,” commented UNEF president Jorge Barredo. “PV has obtained this result thanks to the high levels of competitiveness that its technology has reached.

Not only solar energy is a key ally against climate change, but it also contributes to reduced power prices for consumers. For this reason, the result of today’s auction is very important.”

Unlike the previous 3 GW auction, which was held in May and had unfavorable rules for PV that made wind prevail in the case of a tie between the bids, this auction has made possible the contracting of PV power projects as the Spanish government accepted to raise the maximum discount that can be offered by project developers for both wind and solar projects.

As a result, PV has likely won more projects in the latest auction due to the fact that the discounts haven’t reached the maximum allowable value.

In May’s auction, which was the first of its kind for renewable energies in Spain, 99% of the allocated capacity was for wind power projects.

Source: PV Magazine. Reproduced with permission