At WElink Energy, WE are proud to announce that our flagship Solara4 project has been granted Project of National Interest (PIN) status by the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP). This significant recognition underscores the strategic importance of Solara4 to Portugal’s energy future and will help accelerate our ambitious expansion plans.
A Catalyst for Clean Energy Expansion
The PIN status represents a powerful endorsement of Solara4’s contribution to Portugal’s economic and environmental goals. This designation is reserved for projects that demonstrate substantial economic impact, proven viability, and environmental sustainability. For WElink, this recognition will streamline administrative processes and enhance coordination between regulatory bodies, allowing for more efficient implementation of our expansion plans.
Currently operational with 219 MWp of solar capacity, Solara4 is set to evolve into a combined 610 MW hybridized energy asset through a comprehensive expansion that includes:
- An additional 50 MWp of solar overpowering
- 165 MW of wind hybridization
- A 100 MW (400 MWh) Battery Energy Storage System
Additionally, a second wind hybridization phase is being developed to further maximize the efficiency of the interconnection point. Once complete, Solara4 will generate approximately 1TWh of annual clean energy production.
Key Benefits of PIN Recognition
The PIN status brings several important advantages that will help accelerate the project’s development:
- Accelerated Licensing: Permitting and authorization processes are prioritized, ensuring greater efficiency in meeting legal deadlines
- Dedicated Institutional Support: Personalized guidance from a designated AICEP project manager, facilitating coordination with public entities
- Priority Processing: Administrative procedures are streamlined and expedited, reducing bureaucracy and optimizing response times
- Increased Visibility: Enhanced recognition among investors and stakeholders
Economic Impact and Grid Efficiency
As Barry O’Neill, WElink Group CEO commented, “We are hugely honoured by the recognition that comes with being granted PIN status for our Solara4 project. The expansion of Solara4 represents an increased investment in Portugal will be circa EUR €400 million that will promote significant economic growth in the Region while contributing to decarbonization and national energy security.”
This substantial commitment follows “the recent approval by Fundo Ambiental of up to EUR €16 million government subsidy for the battery storage component of our expansion plan.”
Hugo Paz, WElink Energy Country Director, noted that “This strategic PIN status award affirms Solara4 as one of Portugal’s highest priority renewable energy projects, recognising this project as a true industrial scale hybridised clean energy case study.” He emphasized that to meet Portugal’s ambitious 2030 energy targets of 20 GW solar and 14 GW wind, projects like Solara4 are crucial to accelerate the energy transition.
By optimizing its existing grid interconnection point, increasing the interconnection point’s load factor by more than 2.5 times, Solara4 supports lower overall national grid system costs and enhances grid efficiency.
Looking Forward
WE are targeting to have the expanded Solara4 project fully operational by 2027. As Barry O’Neill further highlighted, “From an economic standpoint, the expanded Solara4 asset will have significant potential to attract high-value power consumers, such as a data centre, with the associated substantial regional investment.”
WElink looks forward to working with government and local public authorities to realise such an opportunity and deliver the related national and economic growth contribution.
The PIN status granted by AICEP provides a clear pathway for Solara4’s continued development. By streamlining administrative processes and fostering coordination between regulatory authorities, this designation will help bring this transformative project to completion more efficiently.
At WElink Energy, WE aren’t just building power plants – WE’re building a better energy system for tomorrow.
