Plenitude starts operations at first block of 330MW Spanish solar project

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Plenitude's Renopool project in Spain.
Plenitude now has an operating portfolio of 1.3GW. Image: Plenitude.

Plentiude, the renewable energy development arm of Italian oil and gas major Eni, has started operations at the northern block of its 330MW Renopool solar portfolio in Spain.

This block has a capacity of 130MW and consists of three separate solar projects. The company expects to begin commercial operations at the rest of the portfolio, which is located in the province of Badajoz, western Spain, near the Portuguese border, at the end of this year.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“The Renopool project will be our largest solar plant installation, not only because of its size, but also because of its positive environmental and economic impact on the region and will contribute to the country’s energy transition,” said Mariangiola Mollicone, Plentiude’s head of renewables in western Europe and managing director of Eni Plenitude Renewables Spain.

The news follows Eni’s sale of a 20% stake in Plenitude to the Ares Management Corporation for around €2 billion (US$2.3 billion), as it seeks to encourage external investment in what it calls its “satellite companies”.

Spain has long been a leader in the European solar sector, with more than 32GW of capacity as of January this year, more than any other single technology in the country, according to grid operator Red Eléctrica. This has been the driving force behind an energy mix for which renewable power accounts for 65.9% of generation.

However, this rapid growth has put pressure on the country’s grid infrastructure, leading to a significant blackout in April that has prompted changes to the country’s electrical system.

Effectively using the vast volumes of renewable energy generation capacity currently coming online has become a key challenge for the European energy mix; earlier this year, José Andrés Visquert, global head of grid at renewables developer BayWa r.e., told PV Tech Premium that, simply, “we need more grid”.

A study from Beyond Fossil Fuels, E3G, Ember Climate and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) found that, as of May this year, around 1.7GW of renewable energy capacity was waiting for grid connections in Europe.

Plenitude has not specified whether an offtake agreement has been signed for the Renopool project. The company’s operating solar portfolio now stands at 1.3GW, with an additional pipeline of 2GW of capacity.

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

August 29, 2025
The first half of 2025 has been the strongest year for UK solar energy generation on record, according to a new report think tank Ember.
August 27, 2025
Independent power producer RP Global is building a 50MWp solar project in Harbke, Germany.
August 27, 2025
Solargis' Marcel Suri reports on the mixing of datasets in solar project planning to artificially enhance financial attractiveness.
August 27, 2025
Norwegian energy company Statkraft has sold its Netherlands solar portfolio of 120MWp to Dutch renewable energy supplier Greenchoice.
August 26, 2025
Investment in utility-scale solar fell by 19% in the first half of 2025, as global investment in all renewable energy projects grew by 10%.
August 22, 2025
Polish independent power producer (IPP) R.Power plans to sell a 440MW ready-to-build PV portfolio in its home country.

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