Work began on 22 September 2009 and was completed in June 2010. The plant was powered up in July 2010.
The project came into being thanks to the mobilisation of State departments further to the Grenelle national environmental forum, to the motivation of local politicians and notably the successive mayors of the town, Bernard Cassaignau and David Taupiac and to the involvement of the Pyrenees-Gascony Crédit Agricole Bank.
The St Clar park is one of the most powerful anywhere in mainland France and is contributing to the development of industrial tourism or leisure activities in the village and the surrounding area, a benefit that is far from negligible here in the region. The indirect benefits will come in addition to the impact of the investments.
Set in the 23-hectare grounds of the local retirement home, the Saint Clar solar energy park represents a saving of 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere each year. Thanks to crystalline silicon technology, it can reach a power of 8.9MW and produce the equivalent of the annual specific electricity consumption of over 8,000 inhabitants. In particular, it supplies the energy necessary for a local leisure centre and animal park.
