French company Engie has beaten off competition from 30 other firms to build the 100 MW Kristal Solar Park, near the Belgian town of Lommel. The bidding process enabled initial costs to be reduced by 34%, while work is set to begin in October. When completed, the solar park can sell power at €78 ($89) per MWh on a 15-year tariff, with local zinc and lead manufacturer Nyrstar the plant's initial customer. We are very satisfied with the competitive prices. In Germany, meanwhile, the government plans to spend about 1 billion ($1.7 billion) over five years to develop its own large-scale photovoltaic (PV) plant, which will produce electricity for up to 50,000 homes.
French company Engie has beaten off competition from 30 other firms to build the 100 MW Kristal Solar Park, near the Belgian town of Lommel. The bidding process enabled initial costs to be reduced by 34%, while work is set to begin in October. When completed, the solar park can sell power at €78 ($89) per MWh on a 15-year tariff, with local zinc and lead manufacturer Nyrstar the plant's initial customer. In Germany, meanwhile, the government plans to spend about 1 billion ($1.7 billion) over five years to develop its own large-scale photovoltaic (PV) plant, which will produce electricity for up to 50,000 homes.