GES Monte Plata Solar Project in Dominican Republic is awarded with the Atabey Environmental Award

The photovoltaic project Monte Plata Solar, the largest solar power plant in the region and the largest Taiwanese investment in the country, won in the Business category.

This project, located in the province of Monte Plata, covers the energy needs of more than 30,000 Dominican families and helps to prevent 40,000 tons of CO2 from being emitted to the atmosphere every year, during its first phase alone. Once the project is built with its two phases, it will be the largest investment of Taiwanese capital made in Latin America. The project has generated in its construction phase approximately 1,000 direct and indirect jobs and about 60 in the operational part. The first phase of Monte Plata Solar, with a capacity of 33.4 MW, was completed in March 2016 and the second stage is expected to be completed in 2018, doubling the investment‘s benefits for the country.

The project, built by GES (General Energy Solutions, a Neo Solar Power Corporation’s subsidiary) and its local partner Soventix Caribbean, was recognized with the Atabey Environmental Award in the Business category for its distinguished contribution to the development of sustainable energy and the protection of the environment. The investor and owner is General Energy Solutions (GES), the largest photovoltaic company in Taiwan, with more than 300 MW in the pipeline and 138 MW currently installed, and through its Monte Plata Solar project, has the first solar power plant in the Dominican Republic and the largest of its kind at the regional level.

“Monte Plata Solar serves the community of the Dominican Republic not only through the generation of clean and sustainable energy, but also with the close collaboration with schools and universities in promoting knowledge on renewable energy and the creation of qualified and specialized jobs” confirmed Dr. Quincy Lin, Chairman of GES.

Álvaro Vergara Restrepo, representative of Monte Plata Solar, thanked the award and recognized the opportunity to work for the sustainable development of the Dominican Republic.

General Energy Solutions and Soventix Caribbean are currently working on the extension of this project. After the construction of the second phase of the project, the Solar Plant will gather 260,000 solar panels with a total capacity of 60 Megawatts nominal. “With this expansion work, we have fulfilled the commitment made with President Medina at the inauguration of Phase 1, completing the two phases of the project and maximizing the benefit for the country.

The Atabey Environmental Prize, celebrated by the Atabey Innovation Center on Monday, June 5 at the Sala Máximo Avilés Blonda of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Palace), aims to identify the efforts related to sustainable development and preservation of the environment, recognizing and promoting the entrepreneurs and innovators that make this goal possible with their actions.

In this ninth edition, the awards were dedicated to the reforestation to stimulate the cloning and sowing of millions of mahogany and coffee trees, creating jobs and improving the environment.