Renewable energy producer Iberdrola has been awarded a 25MW floating solar power plant in France after winning a call for tenders issued in June 2022.
The floating solar power plant will be developed, built and operated by Iberdrola on the basin of the Bischwiller gravel pit near the city of Strasbourg, while the municipality of Kurtzenhouse will own part of the plant. Spanning about 13.5 hectares of the 28 hectares available on the site, the solar power plant will be able to produce about 27GWh of green electricity per year.
The gravel pit is currently operated by Eqiom Granulats, a company that extracts and markets sand and gravel of alluvial origin.
“This project strengthens Iberdrola France’s position in the Grand Est region where the company is already developing a solar PV plant for chemical company Solvay to supply its Tavaux plant with green electricity,” said Thierry Vergnaud, Iberdrola France’s director of the onshore division.
Iberdrola has launched environmental and technical studies to determine and choose the most suitable technological solution for the project and the site. It is expected that the studies will be completed by early 2024.
The application for a building permit will be submitted in spring 2024, and commissioning will be in late summer 2026. With an operating period of 30 years, the power plant will be dismantled by Iberdrola after the plant’s operation life.
“Implementing this floating solar PV plant represents a real opportunity for our region. This green energy project contributes to the region’s energy self-sufficiency while fighting against global warming in a context marked by soaring electricity prices”, said Marc Moser, mayor of Kurtzenhouse.