The Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infraestruturas do Alqueva (EDIA), controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture of Portugal, has launched an international tender for the construction of five floating photovoltaic plants. These plants will be located in the reservoirs of Ferreira do Alentejo, Almeidas, Pias, Penedrão, and Monte Novo.

The five projects will have a combined capacity of 4.5 MW and require a total investment of around €4.3 million ($4.6 million).

The tender includes the maintenance of the facilities for three years from entry into operation.

The plants will feed the adjacent pumping stations, with an estimated annual production of 7 GWh.

It is anticipated that this is the first of a set of four tenders that will be launched at the end of summer, in a global investment of about €60 million that will correspond to the installation of about 70 MW.

EDIA's intention is to replicate the success of the floating solar plant installed in the Cuba-Este reservoir, in operation since 2020.

Portuguese researchers from the University of Évora recently found that the installed capacity of floating solar systems could exceed the 7 GW target defined in the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan 2030.