Nova Olinda: The Sun Shines Brighter in Brazil
The Nova Olinda solar plant in the state of Piauí reached its full capacity: 292 MW of installed capacity, about 930,000 panels in an area of 690 hectares. It’s EGP’s largest solar plant in Latin America
It’s Enel Green Power’s largest solar plant in Latin America. It has reached its full capacity on 28 November and represents a milestone for our presence in Brazil and on the continent.
It’s the Nova Olinda photovoltaic field: 292 MW of clean energy located in the town of Ribeira do Piauí, in the north eastern state of Piauí.
A Milestone in Brazil’s Path to Renewables
Participants in the ceremony to celebrate the launch of the plant’s full capacity included the Governor of the state of Piauí, Wellington Dias; Enel’ Country Manager in Brazil, Carlo Zorzoli and Head of Enel Green Power, Antonio Cammisecra.
“Nova Olinda solar park is an important milestone in the story of Enel Green Power in Brazil. Our expertise made possible the construction of this huge project in just 15 months, so we are particularly proud of this project”
– Antonio Cammisecra, head of Enel Green Power
Enel has invested approximately 300 million US dollars in the construction of Nova Olinda. The facility, which is comprised of almost 930,000 solar panels in an area of 690 hectares, has 292 MW of installed capacity and is able to produce more than 600 GWh per year, enough energy to supply the consumption needs of around 300,000 homes. In addition, annually, the clean energy produced will avoid the emission of approximately 350,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
“Nova Olinda is a demonstration of how Enel is contributing to the diversification of the energy mix in Brazil by betting on the renewable sources that are so abundant in the country”
– Carlo Zorzoli, Enel’ Country Manager in Brazil
In Brazil, EGP has a total installed renewable capacity of around 2,276 MW, of which 670 MW from wind power, 716 MW from solar PV and 890 MW from hydro power, as well as to close to 275 MW of capacity currently in construction, of which 172 MW from wind and 103 from solar power. In addition, Enel Group will integrate the recently-awarded 380 MW Volta Grande hydro plant.
Growing together with local communities
We have carried out initiatives in the areas surrounding the plant, in line with the Creating Shared Value (CSV) model, which aims to combine business development and the local community’s needs.
“To bring the Nova Olinda Park to life, 1,700 employees were hired. More than half were local residents”
Initiatives carried out in accordance with the central CSV model involving local communities have included local workforce training in electro-mechanics to assemble the plant’s equipment and creative recycling workshops with residents to create furniture using materials used in the construction works.
Through these workshops, pallets were turned into furniture for schools and local squares. Another Enel initiative involving the surrounding communities is the CineSolar project, which uses solar power as an energy source for cinema screenings taking place in public spaces.
Source: enelgreenpower
