International renewable independent power producer Alternus Energy Group has completed installation of its solar project at Rotterdam the Hague Airport.
The 13.6MW project, installed beside the runway, was developed and installed by its engineering, procurement and construction arm Unisun Energy Europe.
The project has 15-year support in place with the Dutch SDE+ subsidy in addition to a PPA with Eneco.
The park will continue to operate after the subsidy period ends, securing the prevailing energy rates.
Alternus Energy chief executive Vincent Browne said: “This is another significant milestone for Alternus as it’s the first project we have delivered from initial development through to operation confirming our status as a fully integrated IPP.
“The entire process was managed in-house and was delivered on time and in budget, despite the complex nature of installing over 36,000 solar panels at an airport and connecting to the grid.”
Installation of the project began in mid-October 2021 and commercial operation date (COD) was reached at the end of February 2022.
Operations and maintenance services for the project will be provided by Uper Energy Europe, a subsidiary of Unisun.
Unisum chief executive Andre Kempenaars said: “We are delighted to have achieved COD for this project in partnership with RTHA.
“It has taken a few years to reach this point with many project-specific challenges, not to mention a global pandemic, but we made it.
“We currently have 255MW of projects in development across the Netherlands, that we expect to deliver in the coming years, contributing further to national decarbonisation targets.”
Rotterdam the Hague Airport chief executive Ron Louwerse added: “Energisation of this solar park is another milestone in the airport’s sustainability journey as we work towards becoming one of the most sustainable airports in the world.
“The energy produced by this solar park will offset emissions from our ground-based operations.
“We are pleased to have collaborated with a number of stakeholders, particularly Unisun Energy to achieve energisation, and look forward to working with Uper Energy for the operational phase.”