Spain's Iberdrola plans to build new major solar power plants in Europe

Spanish multinational utility company Iberdrola has proposed to the Eco-Transformation Department to build a 590 MW solar photovoltaic power plant, Francisco Pizarro.

If approved, the Francisco Pizarro project will be developed in Extremadura, costing more than €300 million and will employ up to 1,000 people during construction.

The solar power plant is expected to be operational in 2022, providing electricity to more than 375,000 people and reducing emissions by 245,000 tons per year.

The system will surpass Iberdrola's Nú?ezde Balboa photovoltaic power station built in Usagre (Badajos), which has a power of 500 megawatts and is by far the larger photovoltaic power station in Europe.

The project is part of a utility program that strengthens its clean energy generation by installing an additional 10,000 MW and creating 20,000 jobs by 2030.

Iberdrola currently has more than 2,000 MW of renewable energy facilities under construction in Spain.

The utility is Spain's leading wind energy producer with an installed capacity of 5,770 megawatts and a total installed capacity of 15,790 megawatts of renewable energy, including wind and hydropower. The company has nearly 30,000 megawatts of installed capacity worldwide.