Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, Mayor of Merida, and Luis Cid, OPDEnergy's CEO, have presented this morning the details surrounding the plant denominated "La Fernandina", whose construction shall start in the next few weeks in the municipality of Merida.
The plant will occupy an area of 100 hectares nearby the motorway of Alange and achieve a total power capacity of 50MWp. The construction of La Fernandina will last for 9 months and require a total investment of € 30 million.
When in operation and connected to the grid at the end of 2019, La Fernandina will produce enough renewable energy to supply the equivalent of 26,000 households with electricity. According to parameters estimated and released by the Spanish Office for Climate Change (Oficina Española de Cambio Climático – OECC), such production will contribute to avoid the annual emission of 40,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
During the press conference from the city hall of Merida, the Mayor Antonio Rodríguez Osuna thanked the company for having chosen Mérida "for such important project that supposes a large investment and creation of employment, in addition the activity will generate an important economic return for the city in the future".
Luis Cid Suárez, the CEO of OPDEnergy, has publicly acknowledged the commitment deployed by the local authorities towards the production of renewable energy, "a commitment that made possible the project we are proud to present today".
According to Cid, the construction of the plant will result in the creation of 200 new jobs at its peak. In addition, during the construction phase, the company will subcontract supporting services from local companies and the local community.