Total strengthens its position in the Spanish solar market

France’s Total is strengthening its presence in the Spanish electricity market through an agreement with the Spanish developer Ignis to develop 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar projects located close to Madrid and Andalusia.

The first projects in the Ignis portfolio are scheduled to start in 2022, with the ambition of bringing them all into production by 2025. Remuneration will be paid by Total to Ignis as the projects develop.

This transaction follows the two agreements signed in February 2020 with Powertis and Solarbay Renewable Energy to develop nearly 2 GW of solar projects; and the acquisition last May from Energias de Portugal of its portfolio of 2.5 million residential customers and two gas fired combined cycle power plants (850 MW).

The deal brings to more than 5 GW its portfolio of solar projects under development in Spain by 2025 and positions the Group as a major player in the country's energy transition, contributing to Spain's ambition to generate 70 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030 and then 100 per cent by the middle of the century.

"Total is becoming one of the main broad-energy players in the country by intervening both in the production of renewable and gas-based electricity and in the distribution of gas and electricity. Our ambition, first and foremost, is to provide a clean, affordable electricity offering to our residential customers in Spain. Spain is a priority country for Total in Europe and we fully intend to leverage the market’s growth opportunities that the country offers to respond concretely to the challenges of the energy transition towards carbon neutrality.," said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total.

"This decision to invest massively in renewable electricity capacity to supply all our industrial operations in Europe with green energy is concrete proof of our decision to move towards decarbonising our European operations in line with our new climate ambition. It also demonstrates the value of integrating production, trading and sales in the electricity chain.”