Seville, 10 July 2008 - Today, Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands will be joining Manuel Chaves González President of Junta de Andalucía to officially open Econcern's 2MW Aznalcollar solar park. The opening of the Dutch company's solar park marks the completion of the construction of a 17MW solar park in Aznalcollar. Joining solar parks owned by other companies, Econcern's solar park will provide 750 Spanish homes with clean energy.

The solar park is situated on land contaminated ten years ago after the Boliden Aprisa dam burst open. Sustainable projects, such as Econcern's solar park, have brought much needed investment to the region. The land scared by a man-made disaster has been transformed into an area renowned for producing clean energy.

Econcern's 12 million euro project has been financed by the Dutch bank, Rabobank.
Solar energy production, important to Spain if it is to reach its renewable energy targets, is also becoming increasingly important in terms of attracting foreign investment. Econcern is playing a significant role in the future of solar power, in Spain and globally, by contributing to the whole solar energy supply chain.

Econcern has invested heavily in the world's first plant that is dedicated to the production of highly pure silicon, the core component of photovoltaic technology, shortages of which have stunted the solar industry for several years. The solar panels used for the Aznalcollar project were produced by the Dutch company Ubbink Solar, which is part owned by Econcern.

Ad van Wijk, chairman of the board of Econcern, attending the opening says: "The solar park in Aznalcollar has brought investment and clean energy to the region. The potential for solar energy production in Spain is vast; at Econcern we are committed to ensuring that this potential is met by building solar parks, developing new technology and ensuring the key components such as high grade silicon are readily available. Our mission at Econcern is to ensure a sustainable energy supply for everyone."

Key Characteristics of Econcern's Solar Park in Aznalcollar:

• Capacity: 2MW

• Annual electricity production: 3,000,000 kWh

• Households provided: 750

• Annual CO2 emission reduction: 1,800 tonnes

• Area size of solar park: Six hectares

• Technology characteristics: Ubbink Solar Modules

• Grid connection: July, 2008

About Econcern
Econcern's mission is ‘a sustainable energy supply for everyone'. Econcern consists of operating companies Ecofys, Ecostream, Evelop and Ecoventures. Together they deliver unique projects, innovative products and services for a sustainable energy supply. Econcern employs more than 1000 professionals in 20 countries across the world and ranked 234th in Business Week's list of Europe's fastest growing companies.
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Kate Adlington
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