As announced last year, the site of the Nyrstar zinc factory in Budel Dorplein will have a solar field with 170,000 solar panels on 60 hectares of its terrain this year. The park will generate 48 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. This corresponds to the energy consumption of 16,000 households. Later, a further 21 hectares will be added with some 40,000 panels. The province of Brabant and Nyrstar have concluded an agreement to this end. The park will be located on the closed basins where residual products from the plant are stored.
The solar farm is part of the big Metalot 3C plan, which revolves around energy production and storage based on metals. In metalot 3C, Nyrstar must be able to operate fully energy-neutral. Nyrstar uses the energy that is comparable to what is needed for the entire city of Eindhoven. The energy generated by the solar panels is not used directly by Nyrstar. This is done via Eneco.
Nyrstar will be joining forces with developer Solarcentury from Helmond. The province supported Nyrstar at the start of this project with the help of the province’s network and energy and organizational expertise. The builders invest 36 million euros in the development of the solar farm.
Harry Denis, Group Manager Real Estate at Nyrstar, calls the project “a fine example of our commitment to working responsibly and sustainably. In this way we not only protect our colleagues, our neighbours and the environment in which we operate, it also makes our company more competitive.”
Provincial Commissioner Anne-Marie Spierings (Energy) sees “increasing awareness” among the industry that they have an important role in the energy transition. “Nyrstar is making a major contribution with this project. The closed waste basins are very suitable for a large solar park from a landscape’s point of view and use of space. With this agreement, we ensure that this is done responsibly.”
