Neoen has today inaugurated Portugal’s largest solar park and the fourth largest among its operating assets. With a capacity of 272 MWp, the Portuguese facility consists of two adjacent solar farms: Rio Maior Solar Park (204 MWp) and Torre Bela Solar Park (68 MWp), both fully owned by Neoen. m3r73

According to the company, the park is located in the municipality of Azambuja, about 70 km north of Lisbon, and is connected to the REN substation in Rio Maior via a 400 kV overhead line.

The solar park began delivering electricity to the grid at the end of 2024 and is now fully operational. It will generate more than 500 GWh of green energy annually, equivalent to the consumption of 110,000 households.

The Portuguese state will purchase approximately 80% of the renewable energy produced through two 15-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) awarded during the 2019 renewable energy capacity auction. The remaining energy and origin certificates are being sold on the electricity market.

The solar park was built on plots averaging 20 hectares each, separated by green corridors designed to enhance ecological connectivity between nearly 200 hectares of biodiversity protection areas.

More than 6,000 cork oak trees, a protected species in Portugal, have been preserved within these protected areas. A screen of trees and shrubs shields the solar s from view, allowing the solar farms to blend into the surrounding landscape. The Rio Maior and Torre Bela solar plants were developed within the walled perimeter of Herdade da Torre Bela, a multi-purpose estate that includes various agricultural and livestock activities. The estate belongs to Sociedade Agrícola da Quinta do Convento da Visitação, Sag, Lda.

The solar assets were built on leased land within the estate, while the remaining land use remains under the exclusive management of the landowners.

Including Rio Maior and Torre Bela, Neoen now has 326 MWp of capacity in operation or under construction in Portugal. Other assets include the Coruche Solar Park (8.8 MWp) and the Seixal Solar Park (2.2 MWp), both operational, as well as the Foral Solar Park (43 MWp), currently under construction.

Matilde Azevedo, Neoen Portugal’s Head of Business Development, stated: "It is a great source of pride to inaugurate the largest solar park in the country today. We especially thank the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Directorate General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), REN, the municipality of Azambuja, and the local communities for their in the construction of the Rio Maior and Torre Bela solar parks. In recent years, we have developed a strong pipeline of new projects in Portugal — not only in solar, but also in wind and battery storage — and we are firmly committed to actively ing the country’s ambitious renewable energy goals."