Enel inaugurates 238 MW Don José solar project in Mexico

Enel, through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power Mexico ("EGPM"), inaugurated the 238 MW Don José photovoltaic solar plant located in San Luis de la Paz, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The milestone was celebrated with an opening ceremony attended by the Governor of the State of Guanajuato, Miguel Márquez Márquez; the Managing Director for State-Owned Enterprises at Mexico’s Secretariat of Energy, Víctor Hugo Luque Salcedo; the Ambassador of Italy in Mexico, Luigi Maccotta; the Municipal President of San Luis de la Paz, Guillermo Rodriguez Contreras, as well as different public authorities at the federal, state and municipal levels.

"Don José is one of Enel Green Power’s most important projects in Mexico as it is the second plant to start operations after the country’s energy reform, just behind Villanueva, the Group’s largest photovoltaic plant worldwide," said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel’s Global Renewable Energies division, Enel Green Power. "With the inauguration of Don José, Enel is strengthening its presence in Mexico and its commitment to boost the development of the country’s renewable energy sector. We are the first and only company to start operation at the projects linked to the contracts awarded in the first auction ahead of the established schedule. As further testament to our commitment, EGPM is also the only company that signed agreements for the 10% extension of three of its projects, including Don José, as foreseen in the awarded contracts."

Don José is the fifth renewable energy plant commissioned by Enel Green Power worldwide in 2018, bringing the total commissioned capacity in the year to around 1 GW. The investment for the construction of Don José, which achieved full production over five months ahead of schedule, amounted to approximately 220 million US dollars. The plant is supported by a contract for the sale of specific volumes of energy for 15 years and Clean Energy Certificates for 20 years with Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (“Comisión Federal de Electricidad” in Spanish or “CFE”).

In addition, EGPM recently signed an agreement with CFE to expand the plant’s capacity by 10%, an option foreseen in the contract linked to the project and awarded to EGPM in Mexico’s first long-term energy auction in 2016. The expansion, which will add 22 MW to Don José, will be completed in the second half of 2018 and will involve an investment of around 21 million US dollars.

The Don José plant, including its expansion, will consist of more than 1,300 hectares of land, where more than 850,000 solar panels will be installed, capable of producing more than 625 GWh.

In line with the Creating Shared Value (CSV) model adopted by the Enel Group, which aims to combine business development and local community needs, EGPM has carried out initiatives in the surrounding areas of the plant to protect the local flora, with the relocation of more than 1,000 specimens of vegetation, including cacti and palm trees, and to support local communities, with engagement activities, support during rainy seasons and direct involvement in social and cultural festivities. Moreover, the Don José project applies Enel’s Sustainable Construction Site model, which includes both the measuring of the project’s socio-environmental impact and actions aimed at improving this impact, such as through water saving systems, waste recycling and training of local people.