Florida-based renewable energy generation company Atlas Renewable Energy has announced that its Lar do Sol and Casablanca solar plants are fully operational, supplying clean energy to Unipar and Anglo American, respectively.
Unipar is the chlorine and soda production company and South America’s second-largest Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) producer. And Anglo American is a mining company that currently has iron ore and nickel operations in Brazil.
Lar do Sol and Casablanca solar plants are located in and in Pirapora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Together, these solar plants have an installed capacity of nearly 600 MWp and will generate over 1.2 GWh of clean energy annually.
The Lar do Sol solar plant has 239 MWp of installed capacity and can generate 540 GWh of clean energy annually. This plant provides clean power to Unipar’s Cubatão plant, which produces the chlorine used to treat the water that supplies more than 60 million people.
With more than 800,000 bifacial photovoltaic modules, Casablanca has an installed capacity of 359 MWp, generating 820 GWh annually, which will avoid 61,500 tons of carbon emissions a year.
Atlas has signed a 19-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Unipar and a 15-year PPA with Anglo American for providing clean energy.
“By opting for PPAs, companies such as Unipar and Anglo American demonstrate a long-term commitment to sustainability. In addition to the environmental factor, investment in renewable energies brings commercial competitiveness to the business and has a positive impact on the brands,” said Luis Pita, General Manager for Atlas Renewable Energy in Brazil.
During the construction of the Lar do Sol and Casablanca solar power plants, the company provided education to more than 334 local women under its “We are all part of the same energy” program. They educated local women on various aspects, such as solar panel mounting, electrical wiring, and masonry. Over 75% of the participants were employed by Atlas’ contractors during the construction of these two projects.
Banco do Nordeste do Brasil (BNB) has provided a $407 million loan to fund the Lar do Sol solar plant project. Atlas financed the Casablanca solar plant project with a $150 million loan it obtained from IDB Invest in 2021.
