Spanish independent power producer (IPP) Zelestra has started commercial operations at three solar PV plants—Belinchón I, II and III—with a combined capacity of 162MW in Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
The plants, part of the Belinchón portfolio, were delivered within 14 months, with Zelestra overseeing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC). Around 275,000 solar modules were installed across the three sites, mounted on single-axis trackers to maximise generation.
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The projects are expected to generate around 322GWh annually. In Castilla-La Mancha, the IPP has 470MW of installed capacity across nine projects, alongside a further 360MW pipeline spanning solar, wind and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
“The Belinchón cluster is a significant new addition to our global portfolio of operational projects and it’s also a major project supporting Spain’s clean energy transition. It is a strong example of how we deliver projects quickly and efficiently,” Luis Alvargonzalez, Zelestra’s country manager in Spain, said.
The Belinchón projects are backed by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) under the Energize programme, a supply chain decarbonisation initiative for the pharmaceutical sector led by Schneider Electric.
The programme brings together pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda, Teva and UCB, and suppliers such as Avantor, Organon, Perrigo and West Pharmaceutical Services. It aims to cut emissions across the value chain in line with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), targeting Scope 2 emissions from purchased energy and Scope 3 emissions from indirect upstream and downstream activities.
The Belinchón projects form part of a 237MWdc portfolio in Spain, including the Brazatortas cluster in Ciudad Real, which secured €146.6 million (US$169.64 million) in green financing in May 2025. The six-project portfolio is expected to be fully operational in the second quarter of 2026 and create around 800 jobs across the regions.
Leaders in the European solar sector are turning their attention to this year’s SolarPlus Europe event, to be held in Italy on 15-16 April by PV Tech publisher Solar Media. Information about the event, including the full agenda and options to purchase tickets are available on the official website.
