German renewables developer Juwi Group is planning to build a 10MW solar farm near Cottbus in Germany.
The project, which will be constructed on the site of an airfield close to the Welzow-Sud opencast lignite mine, is being developed for Lausitz Energie Bergbau and Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke.
Construction will start in about seven weeks, with commissioning scheduled for the end of October, Juwi said.
The project will generate 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year connected to the grid at the Bahnsdorf substation.
It will comprise 27,000 modules supplied by Astronergy and two central inverters from SMA.
Juwi chief executive Michael Class said: “The potential for generating electricity with renewable energies in the lignite areas of Germany is enormous.
“We are very pleased to be building LEAG’s nationwide first solar project.
“For the companies in the lignite mining regions, this offers the opportunity to continue to play a significant role in the energy supply as part of the energy transition.”
Lausitz Energie Bergbau and Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke chief executive Helmar Rendez said: “For us, as the fourth-largest energy producer in Germany, it is obvious that we are expanding our generation portfolio, focusing not only on our core business, lignite, but also on renewable energies.
“We tackle the challenge of expanding our business for the future with new business areas and synergies and are making use of the energy expertise that we have developed here in Lusatia over the years.”
Technical management of the plant will be handled by Juwi Operations & Maintenance.