Section I of CNNC Tianwan 2 GW Tidal-Flat Solar Project Fully Grid-Connected
On October 24, section I of the 2 GW Tianwan tidal-flat solar demonstration project in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, built by China Energy Engineering Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction, was fully connected to the grid, becoming the first section of the project to reach full capacity and marking the start of commercial operation for China's largest offshore solar plant. Located in the cooling-water discharge area of Tianwan nuclear power station, the project is the world's first nuclear-heat-solar-storage multi-energy complementary demonstration, with more than 3.3 million modules arranged in 480 arrays across about 2,800 hectares of sea area, forming an integrated energy base of more than 10 GW together with the nuclear units. Once complete, the project will deliver about 2.234 TWh of clean electricity a year, saving around 680,000 tonnes of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.77 million tonnes annually.
Datong (Yunzhou) 1,000 kV UHV Supporting Transmission Project Commissioned
On October 31, the supporting transmission project linking the Datong (Yunzhou) 1,000 kV ultra-high-voltage substation to the third phase of the Tongre thermal power plant was officially put into operation. With this, the new Datong (Yunzhou) UHV substation and the transmission works for the Hudong and Tongre phase III power plants under the Jinbei coal-mining subsidence area renewable base have all been commissioned as planned, fully activating the core hub of China's only 'desert-gobi' large wind and solar base built mainly on coal-mining subsidence areas. The Datong (Yunzhou) UHV project, the first 1,000 kV transmission and transformation project in the Datong area, can deliver about 27 TWh of electricity a year, enough to meet the annual demand of more than 6.7 million households in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. When all supporting works are completed in 2027, Shanxi's UHV outward transmission capacity will rise from 15 GW to 21 GW, a 40% increase.
Spain Approves Construction of 357 MW Los Guajares Pumped Storage Plant
On October 28, Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge published the construction permit for the Los Guajares pumped storage power station in Granada Province, developed by Hidroelectrica Los Guajares. The plant will have 356.93 MW of generating capacity, 363.99 MW of pumping capacity and 1.47 GWh of storage capacity. It will use the existing Rules reservoir as its lower reservoir and build a new upper reservoir above 800 metres of elevation with 1.4 million cubic metres of storage, a maximum gross head of 638 metres and up to six hours of continuous generation. Two vertical-shaft reversible Francis units rated at 600 rpm, each coupled to a 225 MVA synchronous generator-motor, will be installed, together with a 220 kV gas-insulated substation and a 6.6-kilometre transmission line connecting to Red Electrica de Espana's 220 kV Saleres network.
Malaysia Breaks Ground on One of Southeast Asia's Largest Floating Solar Projects
On October 29, Masdar, Citaglobal and TIZA Global held a groundbreaking ceremony in Pahang, Malaysia, to start construction of the 200 MW Chereh dam floating solar photovoltaic project, one of the largest floating solar installations in Southeast Asia. The plant is expected to generate enough clean electricity for about 100,000 households and to create around 1,500 jobs during development and construction. The project is being developed by Chereh Solar, a joint-venture company set up by the three partners, and is scheduled to enter operation in 2028. It is Masdar's first project in Malaysia, building on the company's floating solar experience in Indonesia.
Masdar and Sarawak's SESCO Sign PPA for 400 MW Floating Solar at Murum
On October 30, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and Syarikat SESCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sarawak Energy, signed a power purchase agreement for a 400 MW floating solar photovoltaic project on the reservoir of the 944 MW Murum hydroelectric plant in Belaga, Sarawak. The installation is set to become one of the largest floating solar facilities in Southeast Asia and will complement existing hydropower generation. The agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding signed at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023. Sarawak Energy already operates a 50 MW floating solar plant at Batang Ai that began commercial operation in December 2024, has secured agreements for a further 120 MW there, and plans a 300 MW project at the Bakun reservoir, as part of a target of at least 1,500 MW of solar and 10 GW of total generation capacity by 2030.
ENGIE Fully Commissions 450 MW of Solar in India
On October 29, ENGIE announced the full commissioning of two solar plants in India with a combined capacity of 450 MW. The 250 MW Khaba project in Barmer district, Rajasthan, developed by wholly owned subsidiary Khaba Renewable Energy, is expected to generate about 650 GWh a year and avoid nearly 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The 200 MW Khavda project, located in the Khavda Renewable Energy Park in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, will produce about 350 GWh a year and sells its output to Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam under a 25-year power purchase agreement. The two plants take ENGIE's Indian portfolio to about 2 GW in operation or under construction, with about 80% of the construction workforce recruited locally.
Nepal's Keraun 132 kV Substation Completed and Energised
Nepal's 132 kV Keraun substation in Kanepokhari, Morang district, has been completed and was energised over the weekend of October 31 to November 1, when the transmission line was looped in and out along the Duhabi-Damak section of the East-West 132 kV line. The facility is equipped with two 63 MVA 132/33 kV transformers and one 22.5 MVA 33/11 kV transformer for a total capacity of 148.5 MVA, plus five 11 kV feeders and the Keraun-Rangeli and Keraun-Biratchowk 33 kV double-circuit lines. Built at a cost of about NPR 1 billion with funding from the Government of Nepal, the Nepal Electricity Authority and concessional loans from the Asian Development Bank, the substation replaces an approximately 50-kilometre 33 kV line, cutting technical losses and improving supply reliability and voltage quality across Morang, Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung.
Romania's Renalfa Starts Construction of 269 MW Horia 2 Solar Plant
Renalfa Solarpro Group has begun construction of the 269 MW Horia 2 solar plant in Arad County, western Romania, the first phase of a larger renewable complex combining photovoltaic generation and battery storage developed with French investment manager RGREEN INVEST. Horia 2 has 365 MWp of installed solar capacity and 269 MW of grid injection capacity, with Solarpro Holding serving as EPC contractor. The first expansion phase of the wider Horia-Arad cluster is planned to reach 568 MW of solar supported by storage, and a later phase could add a standalone 400 MW / 1,608 MWh battery facility. The scheme builds on the partners' April acquisition of a 365 MW solar development and a 400 MW / 800 MWh storage project in the same county, with first projects expected to enter commercial operation from 2027.
Poland's Qair Breaks Ground on 80 MW Wierzbica Solar Farm
The Polish unit of French renewable energy company Qair has officially started construction of the 80 MW Wierzbica photovoltaic power plant in Poland's central Mazowieckie province. The project adds to a rapidly expanding pipeline of utility-scale solar in Poland, where new ground-mounted capacity is being built both to serve the grid and to supply corporate offtakers under power purchase agreements. Qair has been broadening its Polish portfolio across wind, solar and storage as the country moves ahead with its energy transition and the phase-down of coal-fired generation.
Cote d'Ivoire Breaks Ground on 52 MWp Tongon Solar Plant
Cote d'Ivoire began construction of a 52 MWp solar power plant in Tongon, in the M'Bengue department of the country's north, on October 23. The facility, covering about 50 hectares, is expected to cost around CFAF 33 billion (about US$56 million) and to begin operating by mid-2028, when it will supply electricity to about 300,000 people and 30,000 households while avoiding nearly 39,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year. Around 500 jobs will be created during construction. The project follows the launch of a 50 MWp plant at Katiola and forms part of the government's plan for about 15 solar plants by 2030, adding 1,262 MWp of solar capacity to the national grid and lifting the share of renewables in the power mix to 45%.