Acciona to invest US$600 million in renewable projects in Chile

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ACCIONA Energía has announced that it intends to build two new photovoltaic plants and two wind farms in Chile over three years, with a total capacity of around 400 MW and an investment of approximately US$600 million.

In early 2019 the company will start construction work on the 62 MWp capacity Almeyda photovoltaic plant, with completion expected at the end of the year. Consisting of solar modules with horizontal tracker technology, it will cover 150 hectares in Diego de Almagro, in the region of Atacama.

Acciona plans to begin the construction of the second solar project, 64 MWp Usya photovoltaic plant, in the third trimester of 2019, with commissioning planned for mid-2020. With solar modules mounted on fixed structures, it will cover 105 hectares in Calama in the region of Antofagasta.

Together these two photovoltaic plants require a total investment of around US$150 million. Their output will be purchased by the National Mining Company of Chile (ENAMI), following a recent power purchase agreement (PPA) signing.

In addition, Acciona is currently constructing the San Gabriel wind farm in the municipality of Renaico, La Araucanía region. The wind farm has a generation capacity of 183 MW and requires an investment of US$300 million. It is expected to commence operations towards the end of 2019 or in early 2020.

Very nearby, the company will also build the Tolpán wind farm, which has a planned capacity of 87 MW but is still pending exact confirmation. The energy produced there will supply regulated customers as per PPAs awarded to Acciona in energy auctions. The associated investment will be close to US$150 million.

These projects will add to Acciona's current 291 MW operational renewables portfolio in Chile, which comprises the 246 MWp El Romero solar photovoltaic plant in the region of Atacama and the 45 MW Punta Palmeras wind farm in the region of Coquimbo. With the facilities under construction and those planned for the 2018-2020 period, the company will reach a capacity of 700 MW in the country (372 MWp photovoltaic and 315 MW wind).