Enel Green Power, the renewable energy division of Italy’s Enel, plans to build 6.1GW of new renewable capacity in 2021, following the construction of 5.1GW of new wind farms, solar plants, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) last year.
“Year after year, we will lift the bar” to meet a 2030 goal of 154GW in owned and managed renewable and storage capacity, said EGP chief executive Salvatore Bernabei at a press conference, Windpowermonthly.com reports.
In 2022, EGP expects to spend over 90% of its funds in its so-called tier 1 nations, which include Italy, Spain, and Romania in Europe, Chile, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia in Latin America, and the United States.
EGP constructed a total of 70 new plants last year, including 2,596MW of wind and 2,238MW of solar, as well as 220MW of battery storage co-located at wind and solar facilities in the US state of Texas. The additional projects increased EGP’s total capacity to almost 54GW.
The 5,120MW of new capacity added in 2021 was 2,014MW, or 64.8 percent, more than the previous high of 5,014MW achieved in 2020. EGP also achieved a record for green energy generation in 2021, with around 119TWh produced. Wind and solar contributed for 55.4TWh of the total, an increase of 9TWh year on year, while hydro plants produced 57TWh and geothermal produced 6TWh.
In 2021, EGP’s pipeline of renewables and battery storage projects will reach a new high of 370GW.
Latin America dominated capacity growth in 2021, with 1,950MW of new renewables facilities completed, mostly in Brazil and Chile. North America added 1,384MW, followed by Europe – principally Spain and Italy. Another 754MW was brought in from Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
While wind surpassed solar in 2021, Bernabei anticipates that in the next years, solar will account for around 60% of new capacity, with wind accounting for the balance. Given the higher Capex and longer investment timescale necessary for offshore wind, EGP is firmly focused on onshore wind projects. New geothermal and hydroelectric power sources are expected to have a minor contribution.
Bernabei emphasized that development on 60 percent of the 21.2GW of renewable power EGP aims to build between 2022 and 2024 has already started. “All locations are open and under development for 2022,” he added.