To be located in the North of Chile, the solar projects secured by the company will be built with an investment of $950m
The Chilean government has conducted the tender for 11 solar projects. (Credit: Solarcentury.)
Solarcentury, a UK-based solar developer, announced that it has been selected in a tender by the Ministry of National Assets of Chile, to develop 1.04GW in solar projects.
The Chilean government has conducted the tender for 11 solar projects, with Solarcentury wining three out of them.
The three solar projects will be located in the North of the country, in the heart of the mining region.
To be located in the Antofagasta and Tarapacá regions of Chile, the projects will operate without any form of government subsidy and a rent will be paid to the government for the use of the land.
Solarcentury LATAM business development senior manager Cristian Fuenzalida said: “The land we have secured in this auction represents some of the best land in the world to develop solar as it combines great irradiance with cool temperatures.
“The Chilean government has recognised the importance of solar in this time of climate and COVID-19 crisis. These projects will support the energy transition to zero carbon and – just as importantly – create much needed jobs.”
“The auction paves the way for development of the projects. Now that the land is secured for a period of 40 years, the permitting process can begin.”
The three solar projects represent 37% of the total 11 projects
The three solar projects include 314MW Pintados near Pica in Tarapacá, 185MW Sureste de Calama and 537MW Maria Elena Noreste will be located in Antofagasta region.
In terms of megawatts capacity, the three projects represent about 37% of the consented 11 projects. The total investment for the project is expected to be in the range of $950m.
Solarcentury CEO Frans van den Heuvel said: “Solar is playing a critical role in the transition from coal to renewables to power the industrial sector in Chile. This is an outstanding achievement for our team in Latin America who have delivered a market-leading result despite the challenges of the lockdown.”
Presently, the company is in the development of projects totaling 644MW in Europe, with a global pipeline of 6GW.