Neoen and Alight have announced they will proceed with a consortium of Bouygues Energies & Services and Solkompaniet under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) turnkey contract before the construction of Hultsfred solar farm commences.
With a capacity of 100 MWp, it is the largest solar project to reach construction stage in Sweden and its commissioning is scheduled for 2025.
Jointly developed and owned by Neoen and Alight, the Hultsfred solar farm will be connected to the E.ON local grid distribution system, in Hultsfred, Småland— towards south-east Sweden.
The farm will be built using low-carbon photovoltaic panels installed around the runway of Hultsfred airport and it is expected to generate enough electricity to cover the consumption of over 18,000 Swedish homes.
Neon (Sweden) Head of Business Development Laetitia said: “Hultsfred solar farm will be our third Swedish asset after Storbränkullen wind farm and Storen Power Reserve battery: our three-pronged, long-term approach is an ideal response to Sweden’s need for a secure supply of competitive, local, renewable energy, as it transitions to a net-zero carbon economy by 2045.”
The project is underpinned by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) signed end of 2022 with H&M Group, under which the solar farm will provide the Swedish fashion chain with 95 per cent of the renewable energy and guarantees of origin produced.
The agreement will play an important role in H&M Group’s goal to only source renewable electricity by 2030 at the latest.
Alight CEO Harald Överholm stated that as the largest solar project in Sweden to date, Hultsfred solar farm is not only in line with the company’s mission to add more green megawatts to the grid, but it is a remarkable step forward for the country as a whole — as it accelerates the transition to a more sustainable future.