Smartenergy, a Swiss multinational specialized in renewable energies, intends to build one of the largest photovoltaic plants in Spain between Toledo and Madrid. The project, which will be located mainly in the region of La Sagra, will affect municipalities in both provinces, including Valdemoro and Colmenar de Oreja in the south of Madrid, as well as Seseña and Añover de Tajo in Toledo.
The first phase of the project foresees an installed capacity of 233.7 MW on 677 hectares, with a second phase yet to be authorized that would add another 290.3 MW to reach a total of around 524 MW and more than 1,000 hectares of surface area. This would place it among the largest in the country.
How this project will affect Madrid
At the energy level, the impact will be significant. A plant of this size could meet the annual electricity demand of tens of thousands of homes. By comparison, other solar installations of a similar range in Castilla-La Mancha (310 MW) supply around 86,000 homes a year, so the new Smartenergy megaplant could provide electricity to between 140,000 and 150,000 homes in the central peninsular, helping to reduce the region’s dependence on fossil fuels and CO₂ emissions.
The energy generated will be connected to the grid and part of it is intended to supply renewable electricity to industrial sectors with high demand, such as the region’ s new data centers and logistics parks, helping to comply with European energy efficiency regulations for large consumers.
The project will significantly increase the percentage of renewable energy in the local energy mix of the Community of Madrid, which is still below that of other Spanish autonomous regions.
Will it result in jobs for the region?
The construction of the plant, if it is approved, will require labor during the civil works, installation of panels and electrical systems, and technical start-up phases, as is the case in projects of this scale.
But there are still no exact official employment figures for the Smartenergy plant alone; other projects of similar characteristics usually generate several hundred direct jobs during construction – with peaks exceeding 300 workers during intensive periods – and about ten permanent jobs for maintenance and long-term operation, in addition to indirect jobs associated with transportation, manufacturing and installation of components.