On 27 July COBRA IS marked an important milestone in its clean energy promotion strategy with the commissioning of the Belmonte photovoltaic plant. Located in São José do Belmonte, in the municipality of Pernambuco (Brazil), the plant has a net installed capacity of 570 MW and will generate around 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy.

The project has implemented by two Group companies: Cobra and Cymi Brazil. Cobra was responsible for the development, construction and commissioning of the solar park, which covers more than 1,000 hectares and is equipped with 1,500,000 solar panels. Cymi Brasil, meanwhile, was responsible for the construction of 28 kilometres of transmission lines and the new Belmonte substation, which acts as a collector for the photovoltaic park.

During the construction phase, around 1,900 jobs were created, benefiting the local workforce in particular. Once the plant is commissioned, it will generation an estimated 1,200 GWh of renewable energy per year, equivalent to 21% of the residential consumption of Pernambuco State. This amount of renewable energy will be sufficient to supply the annual consumption of approximately 723,000 households in Pernambuco.

In addition, the power generated by the Belmonte PV plant will contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that it will prevent the annual emission of more than 109,000 tonnes (109 million kg) of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. This figure is equivalent to the amount of CO2 absorbed each year by more than 652,000 adult trees, thus contributing to the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment.

The inauguration of the Belmonte photovoltaic plant reinforces COBRA IS’s commitment to the transition towards a more sustainable energy model, harnessing the potential of renewable energies to boost the economic and social development of the Pernambuco region and Brazil as a whole.