Powertis has started construction work on two PV plants in Brazil that each have a capacity of 112.5MWp and are the Spanish developer’s first solar projects in the South American country.
The Pedranópolis and Araxá plants, located in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais respectively, will feature trackers from Powertis’s parent company, Soltec, which will also provide assembly and construction services.
Construction of the projects follows agreements that Powertis secured late last year with Brazil’s Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social, which approved financing for both plants, consisting of BRL191 million (US$34.4 million) for Pedranópolis and BRL194 million (US$34.9 million) for Araxá.
With a combined capacity of 225MW, the two plants are expected to create more than 2,800 direct and indirect jobs.
Soltec Power CEO Raúl Morales said with the construction of the projects, the company further strengthens its position in Brazil, a market “with great potential”.
After announcing plans for 765MW of solar in Brazil in 2019, Powertis’s project portfolio in the country now totals more than 2GW, which is in various stages of development. The firm also has 2GW in Spain, thanks in part to a collaboration with oil major Total, and more than 1 GW under development in Italy.
Soltec revealed in its 2020 financial results announcement – the company’s first since concluding its initial public offering process last October – that Powertis’s pipeline is expected to reach 10GW by the end of this year, with the unit set to enter markets such as the US and Colombia.
Increased project costs and project delays as a result of the coronavirus pandemic meant that Soltec posted a €4.9 million (US$6 million) loss last year. The company’s tracker business did, however, end 2020 with record operating indicators, with a backlog of 1,891MW and a pipeline of 24,340MW.