Asur and SunPower plan solar project to power Mexican airports

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), a privatized airport group in Mexico, announced an agreement with SunPower Corp. for 36 megawatts of solar power to serve ASUR’s operations in Mexico. ASUR will buy power generated by the solar power plant under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with SunPower.

“We anticipate that this cost-competitive solar power from SunPower will offset expected increases in the cost of electricity from fossil fuel sources over the long-term,” said Adolfo Castro, Chief Executive Officer of ASUR.

“As a member of the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Sustainability Index, this is a critical step in further reducing the carbon footprint of our airports. Through our energy efficiency efforts to-date we have reduced energy per passenger by 34 percent over the past six years. This PPA will allow ASUR to cover 100 percent of its energy requirements as of the date of this announcement with solar power, an important milestone in our sustainability strategy. By supporting operational efficiencies as well as our sustainability goals, this agreement is a win for ASUR’s employees, customers and shareholders and for the communities in which we live and work.” Castro said.

SunPower expects to start construction on this 36-megawatt phase of a solar plant in Mexico in 2016. Once the project is operational, SunPower will provide operations and maintenance services, including monitoring power plant production.

“Increasingly, off-site solar is an option selected by businesses that want to take advantage of the value and benefits of solar, but lack available land at their own facilities to generate the amount of power they need to serve demand,” said Jorg Heinemann, SunPower Executive Vice President, Global Power Plants. “We will be providing cost-effective solar power for ASUR’s airports in Mexico, taking advantage of this country’s abundant solar resource. SunPower is proud to partner with ASUR in increasing Mexico’s solar power capacity, as represented by this significant agreement.”

At the site, SunPower plans to design and build a SunPower Oasis Power Plant system. Oasis is SunPower’s fully integrated, modular solar power block solution for utility-scale solar projects that is designed to optimize land use and is engineered for rapid, cost-effective installation. The technology includes SunPower’s proprietary robotic solar panel cleaning capability that uses 75 percent less water than traditional cleaning methods and can help improve system performance by up to 15 percent.