Auction

State-owned Elektrani na Severna Makedonija will begin construction on a 10 MW solar plant at its redundant coal plant in Oslomej after signing the engineering, procurement and construction deal with a Turkish contractor. The utility is planning to tender a 10 MW extension of the plant and two more 50 MW solar facilities.

The Spanish government has selected 55 solar installations in the procurement exercise. About 256 MW of the projects it awarded will be built on Mallorca, while Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera will host 61 MW, 6 MW and 2 MW of new capacity, respectively.

Solar is included among the competing sources but with a maximum quota of only 10%. Around 13,500 GWh will be allocated across five rounds under the new scheme, which is still subject to EU state aid approval. Community-led projects will be allowed to participate from the second round, with a bonus of €2/MWh.

Three energy associations, including Holland Solar, have asked the Dutch parliament to take action amid worsening grid connection problems for renewable energy projects in the Netherlands. According to the energy groups, around 700 MW of solar and wind projects allocated under the SDE+ incentive program could lose their payments if they miss connection deadlines.

Some 37 solar projects with a combined generation capacity of 202 MW were assigned in a procurement round which was oversubscribed despite a lack of onshore wind bids.

Raad Al Haris, an energy advisor to the prime minister, announced the idea at the Energy Transition in the Arab World conference held in Berlin this week. Al Haris also revealed the Iraqi government has pre-qualified 45 bidders for the first tender.

The PV facility was completed a month and a half ahead of schedule by Saudi energy company ACWA Power. The project will sell power at $0.0236/kWh.

The Alqueva Dam on the Guadiana River, in southern Portugal, will host ten floating PV projects mostly financed by a €45 million Council of Europe Development Bank loan.

In this year’s tender, which is open to PV and wind projects with a generation capacity of more than 1 MW, solar may have better prospects after securing only 1 MW in last year’s exercise. The Energy Regulatory Office also announced the auction for sub-1 MW projects will be held on December 10.

The energy provider concluded its second renewables auction on November 13, and has contracted 121.6 MW of wind and solar. Selected projects will be granted a 15-year PPA and will have to begin commercial operations in 2023.