Voltalia has signed a longterm power sale contract with Copel, a Brazilian utilities company.

The new 260-megawatt solar plant will be located in Voltalia’s Brazilian cluster of Serra Branca in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the world’s largest wind-and-solar site.

“Thanks to this contract Voltalia reaches 1.9 gigawatts of projects developed successfully in our Serra Branca cluster. This new success highlights the quality of our wind-and-solar cluster which attracts local utilities as well as international companies who want to source clean energy. With 0.5 gigawatt of further potential in Serra Branca and the development of our new 1-gigawatt Canudos cluster, together with other smaller sites, we are a leading renewable power producer in Brazil. I am very proud of the Voltalia teams and thank them for their engagement, especially in the present context.”

Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.

Voltalia will build a 260-megawatt solar plant (SSM 3 to 6) and provide Copel with electricity through a 14-year contract, starting 2023.

The SSM 3 to 6 projects are expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2022 ahead of the start of the long-term power sales agreements, with anticipated production sold under a short-term contract already secured with Copel.

Some of the construction works should take place at the same time as the SSM 1&2 solar farm. By pooling resources for SSM 1 to 6 Voltalia will achieve economies of scale at all stages, with ultimately the same O&M team servicing both solar plants.

Solar now represents 0.5 gigawatt in Voltalia’s 2.4 gigawatts Serra Branca site, the world’s biggest wind-and-solar cluster. The two sources of power are complementary since wind is blowing mainly during the night at Serra Branca.