BayWa r.e. completes solar clusters on former military bases in France

German energy company BayWa r.e. has completed the construction of two solar clusters on former military bases in Central and South-West France, totaling 136 MWp across 151 hectares. The clusters consist of five solar farms, set on the La Martinerie base near Châteauroux and the Fontenet base in Charente-Maritime.

The La Martinerie site hosts two solar parks: the 40 MW Greenberry farm, recently commissioned, and the 30 MW Blueberry farm, operational from 2021. Together, they will generate 82 GWh of renewable electricity annually.

The Fontenet site features three PV parks with a combined capacity of 66 MW, including Fontenet I (completed in 2014), Fontenet II (completed in 2022), and the newly completed Fontenet III. These solar farms will also serve as agricultural land, with leases contracted to sheep farmers, promoting biodiversity and reducing the need for mechanical maintenance. BayWa r.e. will also implement measures to protect local orchids, wildlife, and reptiles.

Before the solar projects could proceed, the sites underwent pyrotechnic decontamination due to their history as NATO military bases. Several shells were retrieved at Fontenet, and a 250 kg bomb was unearthed at La Martinerie in 2023.