Vitória Airport starts solar power plant complex project, says Zurich Airport Brasil

Zurich Airport Brasil, the concessionaire, reports that Vitória Airport in Espírito Santo began works on Wednesday, 1 July, to install a complex of solar power plants that will supply electricity to the airport site.

Solar power plants at Vitória Airport and energy self-sufficiency

Alongside the airports of Macaé and Natal-also operated by Zurich Airport Brasil-Vitória Airport now joins a pioneering group of Brazilian airports set to achieve energy self-sufficiency.

Investment, timetable and generation capacity

With investment of R$ 20 million, the build is expected to take 8 months and should create around 100 direct and indirect jobs. The project launch event brought together local authorities, representatives from Espírito Santo’s productive sector, and Zurich Airport Brasil executives.

The complex will have an installed capacity of 5.787 kWp and will consist of four plants, with 8,000 solar panels in total. It is designed to generate 769 MWh per month-enough to supply about 5,000 homes, based on average consumption of 150 kWh/month. Spread across three areas within the airport site, the overall installation will cover 7.2 hectares.

“"This project reinforces our commitment to invest in solutions that create value for the airport, for the community and for the environment. Vitória’s solar power plant complex represents a concrete step forward in how we think about airport operations over the long term"”, says Artemis Papanika, Operations Director at Zurich Airport Brasil.

Environmental initiatives and waste diversion

Building the solar power plant complex is part of a broader set of environmental preservation actions led by Zurich Airport Brasil. Since 2024, Vitória Airport has operated a system that provides clean, renewable energy to aircraft while they are on the ground. In just over two years of operation, the initiative has avoided the emission of around 6.6 thousand tonnes of CO2-equivalent to 51 thousand Atlantic Forest trees absorbing carbon each year.

Other efforts focus on the waste generated at the airport, which is diverted away from landfill, reaching 95% of total waste-about 123 tonnes between January and May this year.

Information from Zurich Airport Brasil