A third of Port Aventura amusement park's electricity to come from new solar farm
Government greenlights construction of on-site photovoltaic power station
The largest amusement park in Catalonia, Port Aventura, will also be home to one of Catalonia’s largest solar farms - the biggest of its kind at a European resort - with the aim of covering a third of its electricity consumption.
The farm, which has been named Port Aventura Solar, will have 13,056 solar panels, according to data published by the Catalan Climate Action ministry via the Catalan Official Gazette (DOGC), and will be able to generate 6.6 MW.
The plant will have an extension of around 100,000 square meters, or the equivalent of 14 football fields. The overall budget for the project is €4.8 million and will be paid in full by the Port Aventura amusement park.
Port Aventura Solar will prevent over 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, according to the theme park’s owners. This is the same amount of CO2 absorbed by 930,000 trees.
The solar plant was initially scheduled to be finished in 2020, but Covid-19 restrictions delayed its approval. Following the Catalan government’s backing of the project on Monday, the theme park manager expects to have it finished by the end of 2022, although the company has up to two years to finalize the on-site construction.
5.3 million visitors
The amusement park opened its doors in April hoping to attract a record number of visitors, 5.3 million, a feat it is confident it will be able to achieve as more and more Covid restrictions are eased across the continent.
"This year we are focusing on the French market, which is set to grow between 25% and 30% over Easter and 15% to 20% over the summer, as well as the UK market, which is growing between 35% and 40%," Port Aventura director David García told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) at the time. "This will make up for the drop in the Russian and Ukrainian market," he added.