The expansion brings the overall capacity of São Gonçalo to 608 MW. The Enel Group will invest around 422 million Brazilian reais, equivalent to approximately 100 million euros, in the construction of the new 133 MW section.
Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power, Enel’s global business line dedicated to renewables, said: “We are further expanding São Gonçalo, South America’s largest solar plant currently under construction, reinforcing our commitment to boost our renewable capacity in Brazil, where we are the main player in both solar and wind in terms of installed capacity and project portfolio. São Gonçalo’s production profile will further benefit from our innovation leadership, including through state-of-the-art generation technologies. The plant will dedicate a significant portion of its output, including the entire production from its new expansion, to Brazil’s free energy market, which is increasingly attractive to renewable investors.”
The 608 MW São Gonçalo solar plant is due to start operations in 2020, the construction of its first 475 MW section having started in October 2018. Out of São Gonçalo’s overall installed capacity:
- 343 MW, including the 133 MW from the new section and a 210 MW portion from the first section, are supported by power supply contracts negotiated with corporate customers in the Brazilian free energy market;
- 265 MW from the first section are supported by 20-year power supply contracts with a pool of distribution companies operating in the country’s regulated market.
Once fully operational, the expansion of São Gonçalo solar park will be able to generate around 360 GWh per year, while avoiding the emission of around 207,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. With the expansion up and running, the entire 608 MW plant will be capable of generating more than 1,500 GWh annually, avoiding the emission of over 860,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.
The 608 MW São Gonçalo plant is Enel’s first plant in Brazil to use bifacial solar modules that capture solar energy from both sides of the panel. The innovative modules are expected to increase power generation up to 18%.
In Brazil, the Enel Group, through its subsidiaries EGPB and Enel Brasil, has a total installed renewable capacity of more than 2.4 GW, of which 782 MW from wind power, 370 MW from solar PV and 1,269 MW from hydro. In addition, EGPB has around 1.9 GW in execution in Brazil.