In the 6th edition of the Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Awards, PortAventura is awarded a prize
PortAventuras has been recognized with the project initiated in the management of last year 2022, after four years of processing. In the 6th edition of the Responsible Tourism Awards, they have been awarded as the largest photovoltaic energy plant for self-consumption, with the installation in their hotel and holiday resort located in Spain, which is also one of the largest in Europe.
The awards are aimed at recognizing projects that strengthen the growth of environmental and economic responsibility in the tourism sector in local communities, something that the PortAventura Resort has managed to accomplish.
Over 11,000 solar panels have been installed on the ground, occupying a total area of 6.4 hectares within the same resort area. PortAventura can generate up to 10GWh per year, a power that will allow them to cover more than a third of their current energy needs in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way. With this same action, they are avoiding the emission of 4,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to what 930,000 trees absorb.
PortAventura Solar is developing a plan that seeks to reduce its own landscape impact with a project of more than 8.8 million euros, which includes:
- Transplanting 150 trees
- The conservation of the environment and archaeological pieces of value that may be discovered in the surroundings.
This complex will also have a space dedicated to teaching environmental care, open to receive visits from schools for didactic activities and scientific dissemination. It is estimated that the construction of this space will take 4 months. The project will soon begin, hoping that by the end of 2023 it will already be generating energy in a stable way. There is already a park that will facilitate the connection between the photovoltaic solar plant and the electrical infrastructure. It will be necessary to build an underground 25 KV (kilovolt) medium voltage line, 6 MW inverters for the transformation of DC to AC current, and the voltage elevation to 25 kV.
PortAventura is the only investor in this project that exceeds 4.8 million euros, being the owners and exclusive owners with the right to exploit the facilities.