Dutch clean energy developer MPC Energy Solutions has started construction of a 65MWp solar project in Guatemala, and plans to commission the project by mid-2025.
The San Patricio Renovables project will be the company’s largest single-site solar project by capacity, and almost double the size of MPC’s power generation portfolio in Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently boasts 79MWp of capacity.
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The Enerland Group, a Spanish energy supplier, will complete engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work at the project, having previously completed EPC work at MPC’s 23.1MWp Santa Rosa & Villa Sol project in El Salvador. MPC has also signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to sell power generated at the project to Ingenio Magdalena S.A., a Guatemalan sugar producer that accounts for 8% of the country’s total energy generation, for the next 16 years.
“San Patricio will be our sixth operational power plant once completed,” said Fernando Zuñiga MPC’s managing director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The greenfield development only took around 12 months, which is truly a great accomplishment,” added Zuñiga. “It shows how quickly the energy transition can be implemented if all involved parties work focused and hand-in-hand, and that we have found great partners for this project.”
Zuñiga’s comments follow increasing interest in the Central American solar sector, with a 2022 report from Wood Mackenzie noting that, until 2050, solar is likely to be the most cost-competitive source of power generation in the region. Wood Mackenzie also notes that the average utility-scale system costs in a number of Latin American countries are expected to fall by 9% in the coming years, creating encouraging economic conditions for new solar investments in the region.
Indeed, a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) noted that the PV capacity of Central and Latin America could grow by 40%, to more than 280GW, by 2050, and these favourable conditions have encouraged companies such as MPC to expand their footprint in the region. Earlier this month, Zuñiga spoke to PV Tech Premium about MPC’s work in the region, and some of the opportunities present in the Central American solar sector.
MPC itself has already announced a number of ambitious plans for the region, including the construction of a PV plant in Panama, with a total generation capacity of up to 70MWp, and the completion of a 12.3MW project in Colombia.