Hermosillo photovoltaic plant

Hermosillo, the first Iberdrola photovoltaic plant installed in Mexico

The Hermosillo photovoltaic plant, located in the northern state of Sonora (Mexico), has a total installed capacity of more than 130 MW generated by almost 390,000 photovoltaic modules spread over an area of more than 300 hectares, the equivalent of 34 baseball stadiums.

This plant, which came into operation in 2018, has an annual generation of 175.2 GWh, equivalent to supplying energy to more than 100,000 homes. Together with the photovoltaic plant in Santiago , in the neighbouring state of San Luis Potosí, the Hermosillo photovoltaic facility is part of Iberdrola's commitment to renewable energies in Mexico, thus contributing to meeting the national clean energy goals defined in the Energy Transition Law, which includes the objective of reaching 35 % of clean generation by 2025. This plant, with its operation, contributes to reducing more than 96,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The importance of caring for the environment

Care and respect for the environment is a constant for the Iberdrola Group, which is why during the construction of this facility more than 1,000 animals were rescued and relocated, especially reptiles, mammals, birds and insects, as well as 40 species of flora. Likewise, more than 14 million pesos were allocated to the SEMARNAT Forestry Fund for reforestation actions, and the Environmental Monitoring Programmes of this body have been complied with.

In addition, during its construction which started in March 2017, more than 750 people were employed for the workforce and national companies were contracted for the machinery during the 20 months of construction.

Mexico, perfect scenario for photovoltaic energy

The Aztec country has privileged conditions for the development of photovoltaic solar energy:

• Geographically, it is located at a high altitude, which allows the solar panels to work at a lower temperature. In addition, its location is within the so-called 'sun belt', where radiation levels are the highest in the world.
• At the business level, there is not a large concentration of companies specialised in the PV sector, but there is a mature solar thermal industry with a high degree of acceptance. 

All these factors were decisive for Iberdrola to choose Mexico to develop its first two large-scale photovoltaic projects.
 

Iberdrola, world leader in renewable energies

At Iberdrola, we decided to commit to renewable energies more than two decades ago as a fundamental pillar on which to build our safe, clean and competitive business model. Thanks to this vision, we are today world leaders in renewable energies, reaching 42,387 MW of renewables in operation  after Q1 2024.

This commitment is reflected in our Strategic Plan, in which we will allocate €15.5bn gross to renewables. More than half of this amount is focused on offshore wind in the US, UK, France and Germany; 28% on onshore wind and 18% on solar.