Neoen Wins 81.6 MWp in Solar Projects in France

Neoen, one of the world’s leading and fastest-growing producers of exclusively renewable energy is announcing that it has been awarded 81.6 MWp in the call for tenders for ground-mounted solar farms held by the French government (CRE Innovation and CRE 4.9).

The 73.6 MWp won in CRE 4.9 is split between five projects, from 3 to 39 MWp, all following Neoen’s develop-to-own model.

Totalling 39 MWp, Loirecopark, the ground-mounted solar park in the Sarthe département located on land belonging to a consortium of local authorities will be one of Neoen’s largest in France. The park will help restore former military land that has suffered from chemical pollution. When it opens in late 2022, the plant will produce enough green electricity to supply 26,000 people.

The four other winning projects are located in Haute-Vienne, Ain and Calvados, demonstrating Neoen’s ability to develop projects throughout France. The commissioning of the assets will take place between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. Three of these projects are ground-mounted solar parks, like Loirecopark, and will also be rehabilitating degraded land, a priority for Neoen. The fourth project, which will be open to crowd investment, is a solar car-park shelter.

Two other projects won the CRE Innovation tender in December, for a total of 8 MWp. An innovative predictive maintenance system will be used for both ground-mounted plants, with automatic detection and assessment of faults of the solar panels. The first (5 MWp), in Portets, southwest France will be located on the site of a former quarry while the other (3 MWp) at Saint-Priest-la-Prugne, Loire, will rehabilitate the site of a former uranium mine.

Neoen has won 364.6 MWp of solar power in the last nine CRE tenders, which represents a total investment of over 300 million euros. Almost two-thirds of the capacity awarded will be produced on degraded land or car-park shelters; 183 MWp is already in operation or under construction.

The 364.6 MWp won in the various stages of CRE 4 and the 8 MWp awarded in the CRE Innovation add to the 66 MWp from the 2018 CRE Bi-technologique, in which Neoen won the lion’s share. In four years, Neoen has won some 438.6 MWp in French government tenders.

Xavier Barbaro, Neoen’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: “Our continued success is a sign that our strategy is relevant and our projects attractive. I would like to thank our staff in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Nantes and Paris for their commitment to the development of solar parks across France. As the number one independent solar power player in France, Neoen is proud to play an active role in making zero-carbon a larger part of the French energy mix.”