wpd solar France has officially begun construction work on the Marcy solar park in the Nièvre department in central France. The photovoltaic park, with an installed capacity of 140.6 megawatts peak, will cover an area of 187 hectares and cover the annual electricity consumption of almost 78,800 residents.
Construction of the connection to the high-voltage grid by French grid operator RTE began last year. wpd itself recently completed the park’s own substation on site. Construction work on the PV park, which has now begun, is expected to take around 15 months, with the first production of green electricity planned for fall 2026.
The Marcy solar park was developed by wpd partner Cryo as a large-scale PV project that will make a significant contribution to the energy transition while also revitalizing local agriculture. In cooperation with five local farmers, sheep farming will be carried out on the site under the photovoltaic modules and cattle farming on the surrounding land. A total of 632 hectares of land were jointly reclaimed by wpd and Cryo for this purpose.
'This project perfectly illustrates how energy generation and agricultural production can complement each other. Thanks to the parallel agricultural use, we enable farmers to earn a decent income while contributing to the energy transition. This is a new perspective on the future of rural areas,' says Damien Brunon, co-managing director of Cryo.
The project also includes important compensation and replacement measures to promote biodiversity, including the preservation and enhancement of wetlands, the conservation of forest areas, and the creation of wildlife corridors.
'We are very proud to be developing one of the largest solar projects in France, which also enhances the agricultural use of the land,' says Matthias Boll, President of wpd solar France. 'Marcy is a symbolic project that shows it is possible to combine renewable energy generation, the revitalization of agricultural activities, and the protection of biodiversity. We would like to express our special thanks to Cryo and all local partners for their commitment to the development and construction of this project. This is an important milestone for wpd in France.'
Source: wpd
