Chilean energy developer Generadora Metropolitana, owned by French utility EDF and Chilean independent power producer AME, has started the energisation process of a 480MW solar PV plant in Chile.
Located in the region of Antofagasta, known for having one of the highest irradiation levels in the world, the CEME1 project will be Chile’s largest solar PV plant, once powered, according to Diego Hollweck, general manager at Generadora Metropolitana.
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The company aims to inaugurate the plant and finish the interconnection process in the first half of this year. Nearly 900,000 solar panels were installed at the project site, although the company did not disclose which technology it used, with a fixed structure facing east-west.
Moreover, in terms of operations and maintenance, the plant will reduce its water consumption by 80% compared to other projects, due to the use of robots and dry cleaning of the solar panels, said the company.
Despite being the largest solar PV plant in Chile with 480MW capacity, CEME1 is not the company’s largest solar PV project in the country. Also located in the region of Antofagasta, Generadora Metropolitana is developing an 800MW solar-plus-storage project, which received a positive environmental process in November 2022. The construction of that plant will require an investment of US$480 million.