Iberdrola launches the "Noronha Verde" project, reinforcing Brazil's leadership in electrification with clean energy

The Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, presented the Noronha Verde project in the Brazilian archipelago Fernando de Noronha together with the Minister of Mines and Energy of Brazil, Alexandre Silveira. The event was also attended by the governor of Pernambuco, Raquel Lyra, the Minister of Defense, José Múrcio, and the CEO of Neoenergia, Eduardo Capelastegui.

This project is one of the milestones highlighted by the Government of Brazil in the framework of the Climate Summit (COP30) that takes place in Belém, in Para State.

This pioneering initiative integrates solar energy and battery storage to make Fernando de Noronha, a World Heritage Site, the first inhabited oceanic island in Latin America with a completely sustainable energy model.

With an investment of R$350 million (more than €50 million), Noronha Verde will decarbonize by advancing with renewable sources and clean technologies. To this end, construction has begun on a photovoltaic plant with more than 30,000 panels and a capacity of 22 MWp, which will be integrated with an advanced 49 MWh battery storage system. To date, the island's energy was produced at the Tubarão plant, which uses biodiesel.

Noronha Verde is part of the Mais por Noronha program, developed by the Group's Brazilian subsidiary, Neoenergia, in partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the state government of Pernambuco. Its purpose is to promote the sustainability of the island through smart grids, electric mobility, technological innovation and distributed microgeneration. The first phase of the project will be operational in May 2026 and the second in 2027.

During the launch ceremony, the first floating solar plant in the archipelago was also inaugurated, located in the Xaréu reservoir, with a power of 622 kWp and an estimated generation of 1,083 MWh per year. The installation will avoid the emission of 717 tonnes of CO₂.

Noronha Verde, an example of the Group's commitment to Brazil

Ignacio Galán stressed in his speech that the Noronha Verde project is "the best example of Neoenergia and Iberdrola's commitment to the future of Brazil, which over the almost 30 years has become an increasingly essential part of our Group".

The company's investment plan in the country includes more than 7,000 million euros for the next five years, which are in addition to the more than 100,000 million reais (15,000 million euros at current exchange rates) allocated by Iberdrola to generation, transmission and distribution infrastructures in Brazil in the last almost 30 years.

The chairman of Iberdrola said that the initiative "marks a before and after" in the lives of the inhabitants of this island, which is part of an archipelago declared a natural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, and makes it "an international benchmark in terms of self-sufficiency, safety, energy efficiency and care for the environment. In a word, of true sustainability."

This project exemplifies the Group's leadership in promoting electrification with clean energies, which allows progress in decarbonisation while promoting security of supply, self-sufficiency, competitiveness and industrial development.