Renewable energy developer Enel Green Power has announced the completion and connection of three photovoltaic (PV) power plant projects in Chile totalling 136MW of generation capacity.
The final 4MW phase of one 36MW plant, combined with two other new projects of 40MW and 60MW each were completed just before the end of last year, Enel Green Power announced. The plants have been grid-connected, the Italy-headquartered company said.
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The 60MW project, Lalackama, is Enel Green Power’s largest PV plant installation to date, generating up to 160GWh of electricity a year in the Antofagasta region of the solar irradiance-rich country. Lalackama required around US$110 million in investment and should power around 90,000 Chilean households, according to Enel Green.
The finishing 4MW touches to the 36MW plant, Diego de Almagro, means the power station can now generate up to 80GWh of power a year. It was built with thin-film modules, approximately 225,000 in total, which were manufactured at Enel Green’s facility in Sicily. Diego de Almagro required around US$60 million in investment to complete, the company revealed.
The third and final plant, Chañares, with a 40MW generation capacity, sits next to Diego de Almagro. It required US$70 million of investment, meaning that the three Chile plants in total cost US$240 million. Electricity sales have been secured by a long term deal with the regional grid for central Chile, Central Interconnected System (SIC).
After being slow to get moving for some time, Chile’s PV industry appears to be growing at pace with a net metering programme for smaller scale PV generation capacity also introduced late last year.
