Chile is one of the most lively renewable energy markets in Latin America and is a solid nation that is evolving and had ambitious targets. Enel Green Power has a portfolio of 272 megawatts of installed hydro and wind power capacity in the country and is currently completing the construction of the Diego de Almagro solar power plant, as well as beginning the construction of two solar PV plants in Lalackama and Chañares.
Chile’s energy market is in a process of change. The country presently depends on the availability of water for its hydropower plants and on the cost of oil and gas, but a few years ago it took the decision to promote non-conventional renewable energy sources. ‘President Michelle Bachelet and the Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco submitted Chile’s energy Agenda in May,’ said EGP’s Head of regulatory affairs in LatinAmerica Monica de Martino, in a recent interview with Enel radio.
The policy document ‘confirms the strong interest and the ambitious plants in the field of renewables in this country, which is committed to generating 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025’. One of the key measures included in the Agenda is connecting the North Chile market, where energy demand is very high, and the South, where there is huge generation potential.
Chile has abundant stocks of green energy sources for this growth, such as the Atacama Desert, a region with some of the highest solar exposure in the world, and the Andes, which has large reserves of geothermal resources, as well as strong winds in a number of different regions.
EGP’s work in Chile is part of the country’s commitment to renewables energy development, and the Lalackama and Chañares PV solar facilities are another step forward in the business’ diversified growth. EGP already owns and manages the 90MW Talinay and Valle de los Vientos wind farms and is building the 99 MW Tal Tal. It’s also completing the 36MW Diego de Almagro solar park and has begun construction of the 50MW Cerro Pabellón geothermal facility, the first of its kind in the whole of Latin America.