Large-Scale Solar Projects in Chile Create Investments of More Than $2 Billion

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Chilean government has set the goal of producing 20% of the country's power from renewable sources by 2020. As a result, 30 environmental impact studies for wind and solar projects have been submitted to the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) of Chile, of which 14 projects will use solar technology.

The Calama Solar 1 Solar Photovoltaic Park was the sole industrial-scale solar project submitted to the SEIA in 2009. With a planned capacity of 90 megawatts (MW) and an estimated investment of $40 million, this project, which is being developed by Solarpack Chile SA (Santiago, Chile), is close to entering the construction phase. Currently, Solarpack Chile, in joint venture with state-owned mining company Corporacion Nacional del Cobre (Codelco) (Santiago, Chile), is constructing a 1-MW photovoltaic plant known as Calama Solar 3, which should be operational by the end of this year.

In 2010, the number of solar projects submitted to the SEIA rose to seven, reaching an investment of $670 million and a capacity of 190 MW. An example is the Pica photovoltaic complex, with a planned capacity of 90 MW divided into three phases and requiring a proposed investment of $288 million. This project is being developed by Element Power Chile SA (Santiago), a part of Clean Energy Partners LP (Teaneck, New Jersey). The first phase's construction kickoff is scheduled for the beginning of 2012, with completion set for 2014.

Since the beginning of the year, a similar number of solar projects were submitted to the SEIA, with investments totaling $1.39 billion, almost doubling the investments proposed in 2010. This is because of two photovoltaic mega-projects: the 250-MW Atacama Solar Complex to be built in the proximity of the cities Pica and Pozo Almonte in the Tarapaca region, and the 110-MW Sol de Loa complex to be built near Maria Elena city in the Antofagasta region.

The Atacama project is being developed by Atacama Solar SA (Santiago) and represents an investment of $770 million. I n July 2011, the project achieved a favorable resolution from the SEIA, and the company expects to have a 3-MW pilot phase operational by March 2012. After that, five 50-MW phases will be installed from 2012 through 2017.

Ventus Solaris SA (Santiago), a joint venture of Andes Mining and Energy SA (Santiago) and KAS Ingenieria SA (Ñuñoa, Chile), has recently submitted the environmental studies to the SEIA for the $296 million Sol de Loa complex. This complex will be constructed in three phases of 20 MW, 40 MW and 50 MW, starting in the second half of 2012.

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