SPIE develops the largest solar plant in Hungary

Bükkábrány, 30 September 2019 – SPIE has developed a 33-hectare solar plant, the largest in Hungary, in Bükkábrány - together with its consortium partner Bejulo. Bükkábrány is in the north of Hungary, about 30 kilometres from Miskolc, the fourth largest city in Hungary. The contract covers the entire process from planning to commissioning.

Successful trial operation

The almost three-month planning phase started in June 2018. After a record realisation time of only 5 months, the works were able to commence their two-month trial operation in February 2019. "In the test phase, we were able to collect many important information about the photovoltaic power plant. The plant is producing energy in line with our expectations. As a result, we were able to complete the trial operation on schedule in March," explains Gábor Némon, SPIE's project manager in Hungary. During the trial operation the solar power plant provided electricity to the opencast mine of the energy provider Mátrai in Bükkábrány, about 150 kilometres east of Budapest, resulting in considerable cost savings. After the successful trial period the energy will be fed into the public grid. The photovoltaic power plant, in which about 16 million euros have been invested and which has been installed on behalf of the Hungarian energy provider Mátrai Erőmű Zrt, consists of 64,000 polycrystalline solar modules with a nominal output of 355 watts each. The high power and capacity of the environmentally friendly plant could, for example, supply some 6,500 households with electricity.

A relationship of trust

Besides SPIE and Bejulo, ten other partners were involved in the contract. "For us, as a leading member of the consortium, it was particularly important that the realisation run smoothly and on schedule. A particular challenge was that the entire team consisted of members from four different nations, so we had to be careful when dealing with misunderstandings in communication," says Gábor Némon. "It was a very appealing project for us: We were able to demonstrate our competence in integrated technical work and position ourselves successfully as an efficient, professional service provider for our customers."

First steps towards the energy transition

The development of this solar plant is an important step in relation to Hungary's renewable energy production. "Hungary's energy supply traditionally relies on traditional power generation. That's why we are very proud to be involved in this important program," concludes Gábor Némon.