Nemanice want to build a solar power plant with a capacity of over 1 MW

Nemanice (Domažlicko) - The border municipality of Nemanice intends to build a solar power plant on a five-hectare plot with a capacity of over one megawatt. Given that state subsidies for the construction of these sources ended two years ago, it will turn to a private investor. The construction will cost approximately 200 million crowns, depending on whether a rotating or fixed technology will be used, said mayor Ivan Bartošek to ČTK.
    "We have already received offers from all over Europe and the USA," he added. The municipality, which does not own any land, must wait until mid-year for the selection of a builder, when it will acquire land from the Land Fund. "We submitted a request to purchase the area last year," Bartošek said. The village will begin selecting an investor in July and aims to sign a contract by the end of the year. "Only based on the offers will we decide whether they will pay us rent, which is around 70,000 crowns per hectare, or we will agree on a share of the profits," Bartošek said.
    The municipality already includes the power plant in its urban plan. "We have invested hundreds of hours into the project and have completed a study," the mayor said. The land is prepared on the outskirts of the village towards Novosedelská Huť, near high voltage power lines. Initially, Nemanice had planned to undertake the construction independently, but due to the cessation of subsidies, this will not be feasible. With a four-million crown budget, the municipality wanted to double its income by building a power source with a capacity of 200 kW. However, the state has not supported the acquisition of solar panels for the second consecutive year with up to 80 percent subsidies, and now guarantees investors "only" high electricity buyback prices. It amounts to 12.79 CZK/kWh for 20 years, the highest among renewable sources.
    The very favorable buyback prices for electricity from these sources have accelerated the projects for the construction of more large photovoltaic power plants in the Plzeň region. The largest will be built in Holýšov and Meclov in the Domažlice region. In the first case, the capacity will be 4.5 MW, in the second up to ten megawatts; it will be constructed by a German investor. A 700 kW source has been in place since last year in nearby Ostromeč.