Spanish energy company Iberdrola has started operating the Francisco Pizarro solar photovoltaic project in Extremadura, Spain. The 590MW solar project is located between the municipalities of Torrecillasdela Tiesta and Aldeacentenera. It is claimed to be the largest solar photovoltaic plant in Europe and one of Iberdrola's largest facilities worldwide.

The Francisco Pizarro solar facility, with an investment of more than 300 million euros, is equipped with approximately 1.5 million solar photovoltaic modules. During the construction phase, the project created 1,500 jobs, 60% of which were filled by local workers. It has the capacity to generate enough clean energy to power more than 334,000 homes and offset nearly 150,000 tons/year of carbon emissions.

Iberdrola said in a statement that the Francisco Pizarro photovoltaic plant is an example of new renewable development coexisting with the environment and cultural heritage. During the execution of the project, Iberdrola has always guaranteed the protection of the natural environment and the archaeological remains, thanks to previous exploration work.

Iberdrola has also signed long-term power purchase agreements with companies including Danone, Bayer and PepsiCo. The company said the agreements provided stability for investment and had become the best tool for managing electricity supply to large customers. Editor/Xing Wentao

Headquartered in Bilbao, Iberdrola currently powers around 31.67 million customers. Earlier this month, the company's US subsidiary Avangrid finalised an agreement with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to take over the management, operations and maintenance of the Vineyard WindI offshore wind facility.Editor/XingWentao