Iberdrola bills PV project as Europe’s largest

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The 590MW Francisco Pizarro scheme sees the light as Núñez de Balboa plant (pictured) progresses through construction (Credit: Iberdrola)

Spanish utility Iberdrola has put forward plans for what it claims is Europe’s most sizeable PV project to date, a scheme in the Spanish region of Extremadura.

The 590MW Francisco Pizarro project is now awaiting ministerial all-clear for construction at a 1,300-hectare site in the Torrecillas de la Tiesa and Aldeacentenera municipalities, in the Cáceres province.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

If authorised, the scheme would create up to 1,000 jobs and take until 2022 to complete, Iberdrola said. Once operational, it would cover the energy needs of 375,000 individuals, the firm said.

Iberdrola’s Francisco Pizarro project – named after the Spanish conquistador who led the invasion of the Incans in the 1500s – sees the light as construction continues for the Núñez de Balboa plant, a two-hour drive south in Extremadura.

The separate scheme will boast a 500MW size – of which 391MW is the maximum volume that can be linked to the grid – and is scheduled to complete by September 2020. It is backed by PPAs with financier Kutxabank, telecoms firm Euskaltel and food distributor Uvesco

Iberdrola ramps up renewables as Spain turns the page

The large-scale duo comes as part of Iberdrola’s plans, unveiled in February, to commission 10GW of renewables by 2030.

Much of the 2GW currently under development are other PV projects in Extremadura such as Ceclavín (328 MW) and Arenales (150 MW), as well as 50MW schemes in Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha.

In Spain, the emergence of PV mega-facilities comes as the country turns the page from – but continues to pay for – the years of subsidy reversals and self-consumption barriers.

Environment minister Teresa Ribera, who must now clear Iberdrola’s new project, has yet to be re-confirmed in the government resulting from general elections in April. Speaking to PV Tech, solar representatives called for her permanence after praising her decision to undo the so-called sun tax.

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

September 5, 2025
Scientists from Germany and Saudi Arabia have discovered that perovskite thin-film cells are compatible with current industry standard silicon solar cells, which they claim is a “crucial step toward the industrialisation of perovskite silicon tandem solar cells”.
September 4, 2025
Fraunhofer ISE has completed testing work of grid-forming inverters currently available in the energy industry.
September 4, 2025
The Czech national cybersecurity agency has warned that Chinese solar inverters represent a threat to the country’s data security.
September 3, 2025
Developers Alight Neoen have commissioned the 100MWp Hultsfred Solar Farm in Småland, southern Sweden.
September 3, 2025
Chinese solar manufacturer Trinasolar has signed a patent licence agreement with French module manufacturing startup Holosolis to use its TOPCon solar cell technology.
September 2, 2025
Q Energy has reached financial close for Taurus B, a portfolio of seven solar PV plants in Spain with a combined capacity of 251.71MWp.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines