Enel Green Power, the renewable energy developer, has completed and connected to the grid Chiriquí, its first photovoltaic plant in Panama.
The solar facility is located 400 km west of Panama City, 90 km away from Enel Green Power’s Fortuna hydropower plant.
With a total installed capacity of 12 MW, the new plant can generate over 19 GWh per year, equivalent to the annual power consumption needs of more than 16,000 local households, and will therefore avoid the emission of around 15,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.
The energy generated by Chiriquí will be purchased by the Fortuna hydro plant. The solar facility will therefore contribute to the security of energy supplies and the balancing of power market prices in Panama, in particular during the dry season.
Chiriquí comprises 39,640 photovoltaic modules spread over an area of 23,000 hectares. Its capacity will be added to the 300 MW Enel Green Power already operates in Panama through Fortuna, which generated around 1.1 TWh in 2014.