Global renewables firm EDP Renewables has commissioned its first global hybrid generation project combining hydropower and onshore solar in Portugal.
The Pracana complex, located in central Portugal, will deliver 89MW of capacity, marking another significant step for the energy sector and reinforcing the company’s commitment to the energy transition.
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The new hybrid park is located in the municipalities of Mação and Proença-a-Nova, in the districts of Santarém and Castelo Branco respectively, and will generate enough energy to supply around 51,800 households while avoiding the emission of approximately 35,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.
It combines a photovoltaic solar plant, with 90,000 panels and a capacity of 48MW, with the existing hydroelectric infrastructure at the Pracana dam on the Ocreza River, inaugurated in 1951 and with a capacity of 41MW.
EDP Renewables board member Pedro Vasconcelos said, “Pracana is another milestone in our strategy: by combining hydropower and onshore solar, we reinforce system stability, accelerate the energy transition, and reduce territorial impact. It is EDP’s first project of this kind globally and proves that innovation and efficiency can go hand in hand.”
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The new solar plant, now integrated with the dam, began construction in January 2025, and its estimated annual solar energy production is 87GWh.
Pracana is EDP’s sixth hybrid project in Portugal, the 11th in the Iberian Peninsula and, together with the Golancz hybrid park in Poland, brings the group’s multi-technology projects in Europe to 12.
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