BP to invest EUR 100 million in solar-panel plant

11 December 2007

MADRID – British Petroleum unit BP Solar is planning to build the largest solar-panel manufacturing plant in Europe in central Spain.

The head of BP’s operations in Spain, Alfredo Barrios, the premier of the region of Castilla-La Mancha announced the accord on the plant yesterday in Puertollano, where the 300-megawatt capacity factory will be located.

Construction work on the facilities will start in April of next year, and will entail an initial investment of EUR 100 million. The plant is due to come on stream at the end of 2009.

The plant will create 500 direct jobs in the first phase of the project. The factory will be based at the La Nava industrial estate in Puertollano and will cover a surface area of 200,000 square metres.

The plant’s initial annual output will be sufficient to satisfy the supply needs of between 150,000 and 200,000 households, which in turn will reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by some 420,000 metric tonnes. Depending on demand, the capacity of the factory could be increased to over 500 megawatts, with the workforce increasing to 1,000.

[Copyright EL PAÍS, SL. 2007]

Subject: Spanish news