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Lorca switches on one of Murcia’s biggest solar plants
€335 million project will generate enough clean energy to meet the average annual needs of around 196,000 homes
After 15 years of planning, changes and administrative hurdles, Lorca Solar is finally producing electricity.The photovoltaic plant, developed by X-ELIO near Zarcilla de Ramos, was officially inaugurated on Wednesday September 30. With an installed capacity of 368 megawatts, it is one of the largest solar facilities in the Region of Murcia and will generate around 683,374 megawatt-hours of clean energy every year.
That is equivalent to the average annual consumption of approximately 196,000 homes. The project represents an investment of €335 million and covers around 363.5 hectares, including the infrastructure needed to transform and transmit the electricity.
The plant’s journey began in 2008, when the project was first conceived by the Andaltia business group. X-ELIO later joined the initiative, bringing additional investment and experience to a development that faced a lengthy permitting process, environmental requirements and opposition from some local residents.
At the inauguration, Lorca Mayor Fulgencio Gil described the project as “a true milestone for Lorca” and said the city had supported it from the moment it was “just a draft on paper.”
“The commissioning of these facilities indicates that we are on the right track,” he added. “Lorca must take advantage of its potential. We have exceptional conditions for photovoltaic production and we have the opportunity to transform them into wealth, employment, and opportunities.”
The construction phase involved more than 2,100 professionals, including around 600 people from nearby municipalities. More than 80 small and medium-sized businesses from the area also took part.
X-ELIO has worked to combine the solar development with measures to protect the surrounding environment. Of the more than 760 hectares associated with the project, 400 have been allocated to environmental measures, including habitat restoration, agricultural plots for steppe birds and birds of prey, sheep grazing to control vegetation, and shelters for reptiles, amphibians and small mammals.
The project also includes a nesting area for lesser kestrels, nest boxes and perches for birds and bats, rabbit warrens, a pond for amphibians and 34 beehives. The land has also received certification preventing the use of pesticides in the relevant areas.
X-ELIO president Lluís Noguera said the project had required “many years of perseverance, commitment, and above all, collaboration.”
The company has already placed 14 photovoltaic plants into operation in Murcia, representing 846 megawatts of capacity, and says it is studying further solar and energy storage projects in the region.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Lorca
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