Various renewable energy news websites reported in late March that Endesa’s subsidiary had capture a tender to construct a major hybrid renewable energy park in central Portugal. Open to international bidders, this “energy transition” tender combines solar PV, wind power, energy storage, green hydrogen at one site with the further aim of supporting the socioeconomic development of the region. Endesa is a Spanish power company and a subsidiary of Italian energy conglomerate Enel.
Endesa’s subsidiary Endesa Generación Portugal was successful in its bid to secure the right to build a hybrid renewable energy park in the Abrantes region of Portugal. This project, which could be the largest of its kind in Europe, will replace the 628MW coal-fired Pego Power Plant that is located in the same area. Endesa also won the right to connect the hybrid renewable energy park to a 224MPA network. The company estimates that the total investment in the project will reach around €600 million.
The hybrid renewable energy park will comprise a 365MW PV array, a 264MW wind farm, a 168MW battery energy storage system, and a 500kW electrolysis system for producing hydrogen. The electrolysis system will be powered by the surplus electricity that cannot be stored in the energy storage system.
Endesa also estimates that the production hours of the hybrid renewable energy park will be around 6,000 per year, which are significantly longer than conventional thermal power plants. The stored power of the hybrid energy park will be fed into the country’s Public Service Electricity Network (RESP) in a dynamic manner. The company also stated that the project will support the operation of local agricultural facilities such as livestock farms and artificial bee colonies.
The Pego Power Plant is scheduled for closure this year. Endesa has launched a program to further train the workers of the coal-fired power plant and local jobseekers. Some of them are expected to be employed in the development and operation of the hybrid renewable energy park. Endesa has yet to disclose when the project will enter operation.
Endesa announced in late 2021 that it will invest €31 billion into renewable energies, transmission network upgrades, and EV infrastructure through 2030. About €12 billion of this invested amount will be used to set up 24GW of operational renewable generational capacity by 2030.
Citing data from Eurostat, website The Portugal News reported this January that Portugal is ranked fifth among the 27 EU member states by the share of renewables in final gross energy consumption with 34%.