ACCIONA enters Ukraine with a €55 million investment in a photovoltaic complex
ACCIONA Energía has started construction work on a 57.2-megawatt peak (MWp – 44 nominal MW) photovoltaic complex in Dymerka, northern Ukraine, in which it will invest 55 million euros. It will be ACCIONA’s first installation of its type in the country, where the company is also analysing other potential photovoltaic and wind power projects.
The complex, located around 100 kilometres north-west of Kiev, will consist of three adjacent photovoltaic plants (Dymerka 2, 3 and 4) on a site covering 92 hectares. Start-up will be in 2019.
Fully owned by ACCIONA Energía, this photovoltaic complex will be equipped with 174,552 polycrystalline silicon modules mounted on fixed structures to produce 63 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year, equivalent to the consumption of over 26,000 Ukrainian homes. This will avoid the emission of more than 60,000 tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere from coal-fired power stations per year.
The energy generated will be sent to the national grid and sold to the public utility company of the Ukraine, Energorynok State Enterprise, with which a PPA contract will be signed for the electricity supplied (up to 31 December 2029). Later, ACCIONA will sign up for the pricing system to be established for the Ukrainian market.
AN INCIPIENT MARKET
The Government of the Ukraine is promoting renewable energy with the aim of reducing the country’s dependence of imported energy and diversifying its energy mix.
Within the framework of the Association Agreement the Ukraine signed with the European Union in 2014, the country has set the target of 35% of its electricity production from renewables by 2035.
Renewables currently represent around 5% (4% hydropower) of the Ukraine’s electricity mix, which is dominated by nuclear power (54%), coal (34%) and gas (6%), according to figures from the International Energy Agency. The Ukraine imports more than 30% of its coal and over 50% of the gas it consumes.
The Ukrainian renewables market is at an incipient stage, with 841 MW of photovoltaic energy and 465 MW of wind power at the end of 2017, according to official figures. This is the result of the support policy implemented in recent years that augurs interesting growth prospects for the sector. Specifically, in photovoltaic solar power, the milestone of exceeding 1,000 MW of capacity is expected to be achieved before the end of the year.
The Dymerka project is consistent with the technology diversification approach adopted by ACCIONA Energía to increase the weight of photovoltaic energy in its generation mix. In 2019 the company will have a total photovoltaic capacity of over 1,000 MWp under its ownership in Mexico, Chile, South Africa, Portugal, Egypt, the Ukraine and Spain, making this technology the second biggest in ACCIONA in terms of installed capacity after wind power.