Trebol Energía Group will develop the Catalan public energy business plan for the coming years. The consulting firm has been awarded the contract, beating one of the ‘big four’ such as PwC. KM0 Energy has also participated in the bid, according to the Catalan public procurement platform.
L’Energètica, the commercial brand under which Energías Renovables Públicas de Cataluña SAU operates, thus begins to define the legal, organizational and means structure essential for its viability with the aim of being at full capacity in the shortest possible time. The creation of the company was announced in October of last year and it was at the beginning of this year when its constitution was published in the Official Gazette of the Commercial Registry (BORME).
The Generalitat developed a base bidding budget for said contract that was close to 97,3400 euros and was finally awarded for almost 77,900 euros (in both cases VAT included). The duration of the agreement is three months. Grupo Trebol Energía has achieved a total score of 91.5, while KM0 Energy and PwC have obtained 74.2 and 70.5 points, respectively. The economic offer has had a weight of 35% in the process.
Local projects in advanced stages of development
L’Energètica’s business focuses on acquiring shares in renewable projects that are mainly local and that are in an advanced stage of development. To do this, negotiate with promoters who already have at least administrative authorization. Its first megawatts (MW) were a free transfer from Avança, the Industrial Promotion and Location Company of Catalonia.
The company, led by Daniel Pérez (formerly of Holaluz and UNEF), will make investments under a series of profitability, territorial, social and participation criteria of the town where the facility is located, previously defined and approved by the board of directors. By 2023 it aims to invest 20 million in projects that are tendered or in an advanced stage of development.
On land, the entity will aim to invest in small installations, generally around 5 MW of power, since their processing is much faster than that of a large park. Another option is collaboration with local entities. For example, a small municipality that does not have sufficient funds to build a photovoltaic installation could transfer the land to the company and it will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the plant. In this way, a part of the energy would stay in the town. It will also develop its own projects and may participate in other private ones that have the approval of the territory.
For its part, when it comes to solar panels on roofs for self-consumption, the company is much more ambitious. It will invest in projects depending on the bidding possibilities, but the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN) estimates a potential of about 300 MW by 2030. According to current market prices, this would mean an investment of 300 million euros, at a rate of one million per MW. The Government wants L’Energètica to supply renewable electricity to all public facilities of the Generalitat.
Likewise, it is proposed to distribute surplus energy (if any) among vulnerable consumers who are 2 kilometers away, the maximum distance allowed between the generation facilities and the consumption points. Another option is for primary care institutes or health centers to benefit from that excess electricity, for example. The public company has an advisory board of 20 members. Its function is to prepare reports at the request of the board of directors (chaired by former ERC deputy Ferran Civit) and submit proposals for measures and actions that contribute to the achievement of the company’s objectives.
Catalonia opens up to solar energy after years of renewable standstill
Catalonia has been one of the strictest regions for the development of solar plants and wind farms and now it has placed sixth so as not to be left behind in the ‘green’ race. Under the Energy Prospective of Catalonia (Proencat), the region has set the goal of achieving a solar power of 7,156 MW between ground and roof installations by the end of the decade, which would be equivalent to investments that would be around 5.2 billion euros, according to UNEF calculations. The target rises to 22,431 and 33,152 MW by 2040 and 2050, respectively.
It must be taken into account that the community has practically residual solar power installed in land plants. According to UNEF data, at the end of 2022, it only had 295 MW of the 19,568 MW that existed throughout the country, that is, 1.5% of the total. It currently has about 200 projects in public information, which together add up to around 2,300 MW of power. Of the total, 80 have already received administrative authorization, although some have not yet been able to complete some urban planning procedures. For their part, five projects have been denied and the rest are in different translation processes.
Companies like Fundeen and Flobers have also focused on Catalonia. They are ‘fintech’ platforms that help investors and promoters develop renewable projects through ‘crowdfunding’. In the community, companies are required to present an offer for local participation of 20% of the installation and that is where they come into play. In the case of Fundeen, it has recently launched fifteen new projects in one go and there are already 30 that are seeking local import financing of up to 100 million euros.
