Iberdrola has been awarded its first floating solar project in France in a tender by the Alsatian municipality of Kurtzenhouse.
The company will build the 25MW plant on the basin of the Bischwiller gravel pit owned by the municipality.
“This project strengthens Iberdrola France's position in the Grand Est region where the company is already developing a solar PV plant for Solvay to supply its Tavaux plant (Jura) with green electricity,” Iberdrola France onshore wind and PV director Thierry Vergnaud said.
“In parallel, Iberdrola is working on a 3MW agrivoltaic solution in a Moselle farm to optimise milk production."
This gravel pit is operated by the company Eqiom Granulats, which extracts and markets sand and gravel of alluvial origin. During the construction and operation phase, the Spanish renewables giant will consider the presence of these activities and ensure their continued operation.
The floating solar plant will occupy an area of approximately 13.5 hectares of the 28 hectares available on the site.
Iberdrola is currently carrying out environmental and technical studies for the project, which are slated to be completed early next year.
Commissioning of the plant is expected in the late summer of 2026, when it will be able to produce about 27GWh of green power per year, which will be fed into the local distribution grid.
"This green energy project contributes to the region’s energy self-sufficiency while fighting against global warming in a context marked by soaring electricity prices," Kurtzenhouse mayor Marc Moser said.
The announcement of the French project came after Iberdrola last month said it was leaping into floating solar with a debut project on the Brazilian eco-paradise island of Fernando de Noronha.
