Lorca, in Spain's Murcia region, is now home to one of the country's largest photovoltaic plants. Named Lorca Solar, the facility developed by X-ELIO has a capacity of 368 MW and required an investment of 335 million euros, according to the company. The plant would generate around 683,374 MWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the average annual consumption of approximately 196,000 households, based on estimates provided by X-ELIO.

A project mobilizing more than 2,100 workers

Construction of the site mobilized more than 2,100 professionals, of whom around 600 came from nearby municipalities, along with more than 80 small and medium-sized enterprises from the region. This type of large-scale solar project is expanding worldwide, as seen with the 200 MW Blackwater solar project launched by Ørsted in New Mexico or the partnership between EDF and NYPA to develop 240 MW of solar capacity in New York. X-ELIO, which specializes in photovoltaic and energy storage projects, describes Lorca Solar as its largest solar project in Spain.

The inauguration ceremony, held at the plant site, brought together institutional representatives, partner companies and company executives. Attendees included Lluís Noguera, executive chairman of X-ELIO, Isabel Ruiz, head of sustainability and communication at the company, Fulgencio Gil Jódar, mayor of Lorca, Juan María Vázquez Rojas, regional councillor for the Environment, Industry, Universities, Research and the Mar Menor for the Region of Murcia, and Francisco Lucas Ayala, the Spanish government's delegate for the region.

Power purchase agreements with several multinationals

Part of Lorca Solar's output has already been committed through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed with Thermo Fisher Scientific, GSK, Haleon, Gilead Sciences and The Sherwin-Williams Company. The project was also financed by Banco Santander, the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) and Unicaja, according to information provided by X-ELIO.

Of the more than 760 hectares occupied by Lorca Solar, 400 hectares are set aside for environmental measures aimed at restoring habitats, protecting biodiversity and maintaining traditional land uses. This allocation illustrates the significant share of the land dedicated to ecological objectives rather than solely to electricity generation.