The park will have a total capacity of 64.14 megawatts, and the first phase, supplying 32.14 MW, will go on the grid by the end of the year.

"Due to our many years of experience, both the local population and the Dominican government have significant trust in us," says Markus Wirth, member of WIRSOL's board of directors. "President Danilo Medina Sánchez has personally awarded the country's first power purchase agreement to us." Monte Plata is the Dominican Republic's first solar park.

The Caribbean island nation´s demand for electricity has risen dramatically, due to a large increase in population in the last few years to over 10 million inhabitants and the rapid economic growth in the region. In the Dominican Republic energy still comes primarily from expensive fossil fuels such as diesel and gas.

Irradiation in the Caribbean is about 50% higher than in Germany, yet up to now the sun has barely been used as a resource in the region. The government now provides indirect support for projects with renewable energies through a favourable tax treatment.