Naturgy has commissioned the Ocaña photovoltaic in the province of Toledo. The 50 MW facility will produce around 100 GWh of renewable energy per year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 26,000 homes. By connecting this new plant, Naturgy reaches 1,200 MW of operational renewable generation in Castilla-La Mancha and reinforces its commitment to promoting its energy transition.
An investment of 31 million euros was required to commission the Ocaña plant and it has generated around 300 direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase. The new plant consists of more than 93,000 photovoltaic panels and will have a lifetime of 30 years. Its production will prevent the emission of 42,400 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to taking 17,500 vehicles off the road.
The Ocaña photovoltaic plant will also contribute to improving the electricity distribution network with a series of additional reinforcement measures, such as increasing the Valdemoro electricity substation transformation capacity, as well as creating a new evacuation line that will benefit not only this town and its region, but also the entire distribution network in the area.
Located on a disused former mining site, the facility has been designed with environmental and landscape integration in mind. Proof of this is the wide range of preventive, corrective and compensation environmental measures that are being implemented.
For example, agronomic tools are being implemented (crop rotation plan, limitation of the tillage calendar and minimisation of agrochemicals) on 25 hectares of dry farming land to encourage sustainable agriculture, using good agricultural practices such as maintaining traditional fallow lands that favour the recovery of habitats more suited to the needs of the steppe birds in the area.
Nesting boxes for birds and bats will also be installed to encourage these species to nest around the plant and measures will be implemented to protect pollinators and other insects, leaving areas inside the facility where no vegetation removal treatments will be applied.
Commitment to Castilla-La Mancha
With this new solar facility, Naturgy reinforces its commitment to Castilla-La Mancha, where it is finalising the construction of two more solar plants in the province of Guadalajara, Zorita I and Zorita II, located in the surroundings of the former ‘José Cabrera’ Nuclear Power Plant, between the municipalities of Almonacid de Zorita and Zorita de los Canes. When connected to the grid, both facilities will together provide an additional 100 MW of power.
The company currently operates more than 1,200 MW of wind, photovoltaic and hydro power through 30 facilities in different provinces of the region. By technology, the group manages 12 wind farms: Loma Gorda, San Gil and Peña I (Tartanedo) and Canredondo I (Canredondo) in Guadalajara; Malagón I and Malagón II in Ciudad Real; and Los Pedreros (Fuente Álamo), Sierra de la Oliva (Almansa), La Losilla (Chinchilla de Montearagón), La Fuensanta (Peñas de San Pedro) and Casa del Aire I and II (El Bonillo) in Albacete.
In terms of photovoltaic technology, including Ocaña (Toledo), Naturgy operates eight solar plants. Picón I, Picón II and Picón III (Porzuna) and La Nava (Almodóvar del Campo) plants in the province of Ciudad Real and in Toledo, Carpio de Tajo (El Carpio de Tajo), which began operating in 2019, as well as the Toledo PV plant in La Puebla de Montalbán, which is the oldest in Europe as it began operating in 1994. In addition, the Canredondo plant was commissioned in Guadalajara in 2021.
Finally, in terms of hydropower generation, the company operates nine hydropower plants in Castilla-La Mancha in the provinces of Guadalajara, Cuenca and Toledo, and one mini-hydro plant in Guadalajara.
Commitment to Energy Transition
Naturgy remains committed to promoting the energy transition and the development of renewable projects. The group has 7.3 GW of installed capacity internationally. During 2024, the company commissioned 842 MW, of which 271 MW corresponds to projects in Spain, 555 MW in Australia and 14 MW in Latin America.
The company invested a total of 926 million euros to develop this new renewable capacity, of which 374 million euros were in Spain. These investments confirm its commitment to a more sustainable energy mix, as well as its commitment to the energy transition, without neglecting the fundamental objectives of value creation and growth for each of the businesses as well as ESG objectives.