Jan 13 2011
Boralex Inc. ("Boralex"), a Canadian electricity producer whose core business is the development and operation of power stations that generate renewable energy, and Q-Cells, a world leader in the photovoltaic industry, announced today that they have started building a solar energy park in southern France.
Having fulfilled all the regulatory conditions and obtained financing for the project, Boralex will start building the Avignonet-Lauragais solar park on January 15, 2011 with the support of Q-Cells. The site is scheduled to start operating in May 2011. The electricity generated will add up to 4.5 MW to Boralex's asset portfolio.
"After studying the solar segment in France, Boralex is confident that this reasonably sized project is our best way to gain a foothold in solar-powered electricity production," said Patrick Lemaire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex. He added that "Going forward, Boralex plans to grow in this segment, particularly in France."
For this first solar project in France, Boralex decided to use the expertise of Q-Cells Group. Under a turnkey agreement, the engineers of the Q-Cells French subsidiary are responsible for the engineering, construction and maintenance of the facility.
Equipped with Q-Cells photovoltaic panels and cells, this first solar park developed by the Boralex team will be located on land adjacent to the Avignonet-Lauragais wind farm, creating the first mixed solar and wind energy power generation site in France.
"We are very pleased with this joint project with Boralex. All the technical staff in our office in Lyons worked on this project, which had very specific characteristics, mainly because the site is very windy," said Daniel Cintolesi, General Director, Q-Cells France.
The Avignonet-Lauragais solar park has a 20-year contract with Électricité de France and required an investment of €14.6 million. Financing of over 85% of the investment was provided by the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg bank.
Source: http://boralex.com/