Chile

Chile announces auction for October 11, 1,620 GWh up for bid

January 30, 2017

The Chilean government has published the guidelines of the new electricity tender, which will auction 1,620 GWh annually in the daylight block. Throughout the 2017/01 Supply Tender, which covers the needs of the regulated customers, 4,200 gigawatts per year are to be auctioned altogether, according to the definitive guidelines published on Thursday. The winning projects […]

Chile looks to neighbors for energy exports and grid connection

January 20, 2017

Chile is exploring an increase in energy exports to Argentina and connecting electricity grids in Argentina and Peru, as it seeks to capitalize on friendly relations to drive down prices. Chile, which has almost no hydrocarbons of its own and an energy-intensive copper mining industry, has struggled for years with high power prices. But a shift […]

Chile: Elecnor to build 115 MW solar

January 18, 2017

Spain’s Elecnor SA said on Monday it has been awarded a $117.2m contract to build the 115 MW Santiago Solar plant in Chile. The company has been hired for the job by the project company, owned by EDF Energies Nouvelles, which in turn is the renewables arm of French power producer EDF, and local developer […]

Chile approves Ibereólica’s 446MW solar PV plant

January 11, 2017

Chile’s environmental authority (SEA) approved Ibereólica’s 446MW solar photovoltaic project. The $535m project Elena, located to Chile’s Antofagasta district, will be one of the most ambitious solar projects in the region. The project consists of the construction and operation of two identical Photovoltaic Plants (FV-1 and FV-2) of 223 MW each, so that there will […]

Chile’s geothermal sector gets kickstart with World Bank program

January 4, 2017

A workshop on geothermal development in Chile was held in Santiago, Chile on 22 December.The event was to foster discussions about the geothermal potential in Chile and the real opportunities for geothermal development, with a focus on electricity generation and their possible impact on interconnected electricity systems in the country. Attended by representatives of the […]

Progress for Chile’s first geothermal plant

December 29, 2016

While geothermal is stalled in much of Chile, Enel Green Power is making headway on its Cerro Pabellón geothermal plant with an equipment delivery reported to include transformers and pipes and accessories for the plant. ILS Chile coordinated the transport of 120 containers from the ports of Iquique and Antofagasta to the volcanic site in […]

Chile: Engie to invest $450m to develop 400 MW solar

December 20, 2016

The French utility Engie SA – with Solairedirect SA – plans to invest about $450 million to develop 400 megawatts of solar power in Chile’s north and central regions, where transmission lines are available, said Laurent Furedi, chief of strategy at Engie Latin America. Engie acquired Solairedirect SA for about $220 million in 2015 as part […]

Chile: Abengoa’s PV/CSP hybrid plant resumes progress

December 15, 2016

Chile’s round-the-clock solar power project is back on, reports BN Americas. The Atacama 1 plant will use 100 MW PV and 110 MW of Concentrating Solar Power – which has the capacity to store heat and provide energy even when the sun doesn’t shine. The project will be connected the Chile’s northern SING power grid, […]

Clean energy revolution in Latin America

December 12, 2016

Latin America is already a leader in clean energy. Costa Rica ran for 7 months on clean energy alone last year and Uruguay came close to that. In 2014, the latest year for which comparable data exist, Latin America as a whole produced 53% of its electricity from renewable sources, compared with a world average of […]