ITALY MEGA-PV PLANT HOOKS UP

SunEdison Interconnects Europe’s Largest Single Operating PV Solar Power Plant; Construction and Interconnection Completed in Nine Month Period
November 24, 2010 (PR Newswire via World of Renewables)

"SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider and a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials…has successfully interconnected a 70 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Northeast Italy…the largest single-operating PV solar power plant in Europe…[It] was completed and interconnected in a nine-month time period.

"…[The] solar power plant was acquired by First Reserve through a previously announced joint venture between First Reserve Corporation and SunEdison…First Reserve recently announced the execution of a euro 276M project finance facility for the project with some of the leading European banks, including Banco Santander, Unicredit Corporate Banking, Dexia Crediop, Natixis, Societe Generale and Credit Agricole…SunEdison, a minority investor in the joint venture with First Reserve, will manage the ongoing operations and maintenance of the Rovigo plant…"

The 70-megawatt, grid-connected Rovigo PV solar plant (click to enlarge)

"In a letter to [SunEdison CEO] Carlos Domenech, the Italian Minister for Economic Development, Paolo Romani, congratulated SunEdison’s achievement. The Minister referred to the challenges of energy supply in Italy and the project’s importance to economic growth and success.

"The Rovigo solar plant will create significant environmental benefits over its expected lifetime. In its first year of operation alone, the system is expected to generate enough energy to power more than 16,500 homes and prevent the emission of more than 40,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to the removal of 8,000 cars from the road…"