Author: Kristiāna Kļaviņa

Valmieras SPP, a new industrial-scale solar power plant, has been built next to Valmiera. Together with Brenguļu SPP, which started operating last year, they are the region’s most powerful solar plants, providing green electricity to 7,000 households annually. Both projects have been developed by “Merito Partners” and renewable energy project developer “Saules Energy.” 

Valmieras SPP is located in an industrial area next to the AS “Valmieras stikla šķiedra” factory and the “Valmiera” substation. The new power plant has a capacity of 7.1 MW and can generate at least 6900 MWh of renewable energy annually, which is equivalent to the average consumption of 3500 local households. 

Jānis Baiks, Chairman of the Valmiera Municipality Council, remarked: “With new investment projects and manufacturing enterprises in the region, energy consumption is rising. Green energy is vital for minimizing environmental impact and boosting competitiveness. We are pleased that a new solar power plant has been constructed near Valmiera to supply local households and nearby manufacturers with clean energy.” 

Valmieras SPP is owned by “Merito Sustainable Energy Fund I,” the largest solar power plant operator in Latvia. This is the eighth and final solar power plant in the ambitious green infrastructure project. 

“With investment from over 80 Latvian private and institutional investors and in collaboration with “Saules Energy”, we have built eight solar power plants in Zilupe, Brenguļi, Inčukalns, Carnikava, Kalkūne, Koknese, Cēsis, and Valmiera. These plants have a combined capacity of 70 MW, providing electricity for more than 35,000 households. This significant green infrastructure project offers substantial returns and benefits to the Latvian economy,” states Mikus Janvars, co-founder and managing partner of “Merito Partners.” 

The total investment in Valmiera SPP project exceeds EUR 4 million, including almost EUR 2.5 million in co-financing from Citadele Bank. Vaidas Žagūnis, Board Member and Head of Corporate Client Management for the Baltics at Citadele Bank: “The transition to the Green Deal is a priority for the European Union. Investments in alternative energy sources are also backed by the European Investment Bank’s guarantee program for entrepreneurs, enabling co-financing at a reduced interest rate. Valmieras SPP marks the third solar power plant construction project we have completed with “Merito Partners”, enhancing Latvia’s sustainable energy infrastructure and local green electricity production.” 

The Valmieras SPP site consists of 12,000 solar panels, with a strong focus on safeguarding environmental biodiversity during both its development and operation phases. The project’s general contractor is the Latvian company “KL Systems,” which has been implementing large-scale solar power plant projects across Europe and globally for the past 15 years.

The largest solar power plant in Latvia has been commissioned in Cēsis. Cēsu SPP will supply 10,000 households in Cēsis and nearby Vidzeme counties with green electricity annually. The project was developed by Merito Partners and Saules Energy with EUR 12 million investment from Latvian investors and co-financing from Luminor Bank. 

Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia: “Innovations in energy and business go hand in hand, so I am really pleased that we are opening the largest solar park in Latvia today. This is one of the most important renewable energy projects, marking our country’s course in green energy. Cēsu SPP is a symbol of our path towards greener and more sustainable future. By investing in renewables, we help to reduce the negative impact of climate change. These projects strengthen our energy independence and economy in the long run, making us more resilient to global challenges, as well as serving the public interest.”

With an installed capacity of 19.8 MW, Cēsu SPP has started producing green electricity and will produce at least 20,400 MWh of renewable energy annually.

“Our goal is to continue to promote the development of renewable energy projects in Latvia by diversifying the range of energy production as much as possible. The availability of the required amount of renewable energy is the basis for attracting investments, creating new jobs and maintaining economic stability. Becoming self-sufficient in terms of energy, using renewable resources and using the energy produced sustainably, is an ambitious, but at the same time logical goal that will benefit every person in the country. However, this can only be achieved with the active support of local residents and the involvement of entrepreneurs and local authorities,” said Kaspars Melnis, Minister for Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia.

The solar power plant in Cēsis is directly connected to the distribution grid ensuring that generated electricity is available to local residents and businesses. “We are proud to be among the few counties in Latvia where a significant proportion of the electricity consumed by residents and entrepreneurs will be produced by an industrial-scale solar power plant. In recent years, Cēsis county has taken several steps toward Latvian energy-independency. This is another step that has been facilitated by private investment,” said Jānis Rozenbergs, Chairman of the Cēsis Municipality Council, at the opening of the solar power plant.

Cēsu SPP is owned by Merito Sustainable Energy Fund I (Merito Fund), the largest solar power plant operator in Latvia. Experienced experts from the company Saules Energy have been supervising the project’s development. The construction of seven new SPPs in Zilupe, Brenguļi, Inčukalns, Carnikava, Kalkūne, Koknese and Cēsis with a total capacity of 63 MW has been financed by more than more than 80 Latvian private and institutional investors.

The private capital invested in the Cēsis SPP project includes a EUR 6.5 million loan from Luminor Bank. “Luminor Bank is happy to support Latvian entrepreneurs whose projects contribute and add value to the growth of the country’s economy. The ambitious project implemented by Merito Fund is significant in Vidzeme and the whole country and has remarkable potential of return,” says llze Zoltnere, Head of the Corporate Department at Luminor.

Cēsu SPP covers 23 hectares. The construction work and the installation of 33,500 solar panels was carried out by Latvian general contractor KL Systems with more than 15 years of experience in constructing industrial solar parks in Europe and other parts of the world.

During the construction and operation of Cēsu SPP, significant attention has been paid to environmental protection and the preservation of biodiversity. Degraded and swampy areas have been converted into a usable environment – a drainage system has been created and a large suburban area has now been freed from invasive plant species. The fence around the territory of Cēsu SPP allows for the preservation of trails used by local inhabitants as much as possible. Insect houses have been installed in the territory of Cēsu SPP, also there is a natural meadow on the territory which will be available for sheep herds. The solar panels located at the solar power plant will be recycled after their exploitation (in about 30 years) with components being reused. 

Mikus Janvars, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Merito Partners, points out that with the symbolic opening of the Cēsu SPP, the green infrastructure project implemented by Merito Partners and Saules Energy has reached its final stage. “The seventh of our eight solar power plants has started generating electricity in test mode, and the final SPP in Valmiera will also be commissioned this autumn. We have been able to implement a project of this scale thanks to the trust of 80 Latvian private and institutional investors, as well as banks, cooperation with local governments and, of course, the professionalism of our excellent team and partners,” emphasizes M. Janvars.

The largest solar power plant in Aizkraukle municipality – Kokneses SPP – has started producing green electricity. With an installed capacity of 5.3 MW, it will produce at least 5,200 MWh of renewable energy annually, supplying 2,100 households in Aizkraukle municipality. The project was developed by Merito Partners and Saules Energy with investment of EUR 4 million from Latvian investors and co-financing from ALTUM.

The new Kokneses SPP is directly connected to the distribution grid ensuring that generated electricity is available to residents and businesses. 

Leons Līdums, Chairman of Aizkraukle Municipality Council: “Historically, our municipality has provided consumers throughout Latvia with green electricity produced by the Pļaviņu HES. The opening of Kokneses SPP ranks Aizkraukle among those municipalities where a large proportion of the energy it consumes itself is produced directly by an industrial scale solar power plant. This is especially important in the summer months, when there is a lot of sunlight, but little water flowing in the Daugava River.”

Kokneses SPP is owned and operated by Merito Sustainable Energy Fund I, the largest solar power plant operator in Latvia, managed by Merito Partners. Experienced experts from the company Saules Energy have been supervising the project’s development.

Kokneses SPP was funded by Latvian investors and a EUR 2.1 million loan from European funds through ALTUM for corporate sustainability, with total investment of more than EUR 4 million. “Kokneses SPP project is an example of how sustainable projects can be developed in cooperation between local entrepreneurs and local government, attracting financial resources from European funds through ALTUM,” emphasizes Līga Mellēna, the Head of Enterprise Energy Efficiency Unit at ALTUM.

Mikus Janvars, co-founder and managing partner of Merito Partners: “The construction of six new SPPs in Zilupe, Brenguļi, Inčukalns, Carnikava, Kalkūne, now also in Koknese with a total capacity of more than 43 MW has been financed by more than more than 80 Latvian private and institutional investors. Two more solar power plants will be commissioned this autumn in Cēsis and Valmiera. In total, eight SPPs will generate at least 70,000 MWh of electricity annually, providing green energy to over 35,000 households in Latvia. Our cooperation partners and investors believe it is crucial to invest in the regional infrastructure and to rapidly increase the share of green energy in the Latvian economy. We have had an opportunity to implement this ambitious project in two years’ time thanks to the trust and support of our investors.

The construction work at the Kokneses SPP project, and the installation of 9,500 solar panels, was carried out by Latvian general contractor KL Systems with more than 13 years of experience in constructing industrial solar parks in Germany Italy, Spain, Great Britain and other parts of the world.

During the construction and operation of Kokneses SPP, significant attention has been paid to environmental protection and the preservation of biodiversity. The power plant’s fence has been raised to allow smaller animals to freely access the territory. There is a natural meadow on the territory which will be available for herds of local sheep. The solar panels located at the solar power plant will be recycled after their exploitation with components being reused.