Rezolv Energy today announced the commissioning of the St. George solar park in Silistra, Bulgaria, the first of the company’s large-scale projects to come onstream. St. George has been delivered at speed, reaching full operational status in under three years from Rezolv Energy’s acquisition of the development rights.

The 225 MW solar park is one of the largest in Bulgaria and represents a major step forward in the country’s clean energy transition. Built on a 165-hectare brownfield site – the former Silistra airport – the project demonstrates how large-scale renewable energy projects can deliver both environmental and economic value through the repurposing of under-utilised land. It will be operational for at least the next 30 years.

Rezolv Energy is also one of the most important investors in Romania’s energy transition. In Romania, the company has a 2 GW portfolio comprising three major projects: the 461 MW VIFOR wind farm in Buzău County, with its 192 MW first phase set to be commissioned in the coming months; Dama Solar in Arad County, which at 1.24 GW will be the largest solar plant in Europe once operational; and the 600 MW Dunărea East and West wind farms in Constanța County.

A total investment of approximately $300 million, St. George comprises nearly 400,000 solar panels and will generate around 313 GWh of electricity annually. This represents a significant contribution to Bulgaria’s installed solar capacity and will support the country’s energy security and decarbonisation objectives.

The project also includes a 90 MW / 240 MWh battery energy storage system, supported by a grant under the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme. The storage system will enhance flexibility and support grid stability by enabling energy generated during peak sunlight hours to be deployed when it is most needed.

The project has been delivered alongside leading Bulgarian and international partners. Sofia-headquartered Solarpro, Eastern Europe’s leading technology integrator, and CMC Europe acted as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partners. Green Solar Energy, another Bulgarian company, delivered the high-voltage works required for grid connection.

The construction of St. George was underpinned by a long-term Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) with Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe), an operating business of Ardagh Group. The VPPA – one of the first of its kind in Bulgaria – will supply 110 GWh of renewable electricity annually to AGP-Europe over a 12-year period.

The construction phase was also supported by €90 million in debt financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Raiffeisen Bank International.

Alastair Hammond, CEO, Rezolv Energy, said: “St. George began as a vision to transform a disused brownfield site into a flagship renewable energy project that could make a meaningful contribution to Bulgaria’s energy security and climate goals. Today, that vision has become reality. Importantly, it also marks Rezolv Energy’s transition from builders to operators and long-term custodians of critical clean energy infrastructure.”

Jaroslava Korpanec, Head of Central and Eastern Europe, Infrastructure at Actis, said: “Delivering a project of this scale in less than three years is an outstanding achievement. St. George sets a benchmark for how large-scale renewable energy projects can be brought onstream efficiently in Central and Eastern Europe, and will contribute meaningfully to the region’s energy security and decarbonisation.”

Alexandar Sabanov, Mayor of Silistra, said: “Green energy production represents the future of Europe and the world. The fact that the municipality of Silistra will host a solar power plant of this size places us in a prominent position on the national map. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the team at Rezolv Energy for choosing Polkolvnik Lambrinovo as the site for the implementation of their large-scale project.”