- Four of TRIG’s solar projects located near Cádiz, Spain have been awarded the Spanish Solar Photovoltaic Association (UNEF) Seal of Excellence for Sustainability that recognises ground-based solar power plants with a high standard of social and environmental integration.
- These four photovoltaic projects, with an installed capacity of around 50MW each, together can generate clean energy to supply on average more than 130,000 homes1 and displace around 124,000 tonnes of CO2 annually2.
(Pictured: Construction during 2021 at the Cádiz solar projects, the projects successfully reached operations in Q1 2023.)
The Malabrigo, Arenosas, La Guita and El Yarte solar photovoltaic plants, owned and financed by TRIG and developed, constructed and operated by Statkraft in the province of Cádiz, collectively became the 41st project to obtain the UNEF Seal of Excellence for Sustainability, which recognises ground-based solar power plants managed with a high integration of social and environmental criteria and circular economy practices.
The Seal of Excellence in Sustainability was created by UNEF in 2020 to highlight good practices within the Spanish photovoltaic sector, reinforcing the sector’s commitment to a sustainable energy transition. Notably, it has become the first organisation in the world to design its own sustainability certification for photovoltaic installations, aimed at companies including developers, builders, managers and owners in the segment of ground-mounted solar plants.
Chris Sweetman, TRIG Operations Director said:
“It’s great to see the high social and environmental standards applied across these projects recognised by UNEF, reflecting TRIG’s long-term commitment to ESG activities and positive engagement with the local communities.”
1 Source: the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), a centre attached to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), indicates that the average annual consumption of Spanish households in 2023 was 3,487 kWh, therefore the calculation is made by dividing the energy generated by 3,487 MWh.
2 Source: using the emissions factor of the national electricity mix for 2023, which corresponds to 260 gCO2eq/kWh from MITECO.
3 https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
Information for editors
TRIG
The Renewables Infrastructure Group (“TRIG”) is a leading London-listed renewable energy infrastructure investment company. TRIG is advised by InfraRed Capital Partners as its investment manager and RES as its operations manager.
TRIG seeks to provide shareholders with an attractive long-term, income-based return with a positive correlation to inflation by focusing on strong cash generation across a diversified portfolio of predominantly operating projects.
TRIG is invested in a portfolio of wind, solar and battery storage projects across six countries in Europe with aggregate net generating capacity of 2.7GW; enough renewable power for 1.8 million homes and to avoid 2.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions per annum. TRIG is seeking further suitable investment opportunities which fit its stated Investment Policy.
Further details can be found on TRIG’s website at www.trig-ltd.com.
Statkraft
Statkraft is a leading international hydropower generation company and the largest renewable producer in Europe. The Group produces hydroelectric, wind, solar, and gas-fired energy and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global energy market management company with more than 6,000 employees in more than 20 countries. Today, the company develops a portfolio of more than 3 GW of renewables in Spain and has 700 MW of photovoltaic and wind power, in addition to operating 755 MW of solar power. It is a benchmark in PPAs in the Iberian Peninsula, a market in which it represents 1.8 GW of solar and wind capacity.
UNEF
The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) is the sectoral association of photovoltaic solar energy in Spain. Made up of almost 800 companies, entities and groups from the entire technology value chain, it represents more than 90% of the sector’s activity in Spain and brings together practically all of it: producers, installers, engineering companies, manufacturers of raw materials, modules and components, distributors and consultants. UNEF also holds the presidency and co-secretariat of FOTOPLAT, the Spanish technological photovoltaic platform. The platform brings together universities, research centres and leading companies in photovoltaic research and development in Spain.