Renewable energy company Zelestra has launched three solar plants in Cuenca, Spain, ahead of schedule, with a combined capacity of 162MW.
These projects, known as Belinchón I, II and III, are situated in the Castilla-La Mancha region.
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The construction of these facilities, completed in less than 14 months by Zelestra’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) team, created approximately 400 jobs.
The operational solar plants are expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 42,700 tonnes per annum (tpa).
The installation involved 275,000 solar modules mounted on a single-axis tracker system to enhance energy production.
Zelestra’s commitment to renewable energy in Castilla-La Mancha is reflected in its portfolio of 470MW across nine projects under contract and additional ongoing developments exceeding 360MW in solar, wind and battery energy storage systems.
These solar projects are supported by a long-term, multi-buyer power purchase agreement via the Energise programme, aimed at reducing carbon emissions throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain.
The initiative is managed by Schneider Electric and includes major pharmaceutical companies such as Takeda Pharmaceuticals International, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and UCB.
It also involves suppliers like Avantor, Organon, Perrigo and West Pharmaceutical Services, focusing on minimising scope 2 and scope 3 emissions.
Zelestra’s operations in Spain encompass 1.1GW of clean energy projects under contract, with a broader development pipeline exceeding 7GW.
Globally, Zelestra’s EPC division has delivered around 3.5GW of projects, supported by a team of more than 300 specialists.
Zelestra country manager for Spain Luis Alvargonzalez said: “The Belinchón cluster is a significant new addition to our global portfolio of operational projects and it is also a major project supporting Spain’s clean energy transition.
“It is a strong example of how we deliver projects quickly and efficiently. It also demonstrates how we are supporting industrial decarbonisation, and I am proud of the positive impact Belinchón will deliver for the pharmaceutical sector across Spain and wider in Europe.”
Earlier this month, Zelestra signed bilateral contracts under Italy’s Energy Release 2.0 mechanism, amounting to 1.5 terawatt-hours of renewable energy agreements.
