Wind Energy

Acciona wants to install 1,000 MW of solar power and wind energy in Chile

"Our goal would be to get investment for a few thousand MW in Chile within 10 years, to 2022," reveals Alfredo Solar, Acciona general manager in Chile. The Executive clarifies, in any case the figure are "estimates, it depends on the real possibility to realize the sale of the energy of these projects, finance and build power."

Currently, Acciona has revealed one of his projects, a wind farm called Punta Palmeras, in Region IV, which will have an installed capacity of about 100 MW. "The rest we are developing, we have not presented yet," says Solar. Today the company, says the executive, is working on a "seven to eight projects we are studying seriously." These would be distributed throughout the country.

The executive branch that has settled on two technologies to realize their plans: wind power and solar energy. "The SING has advantages for solar energy projects, concentrated solar power and photovoltaic. There are areas with wind resources in the SING, while the SIC is primarily wind resources scattered throughout Chile, of the X Region III and develop our portfolio of projects throughout the territory, "says general manager of Acciona Chile.

What I do is out is to go with mini hydro plants. "In Chile focus on building technologies faster. The market has been postponing the construction of new plants, for various reasons, and this means that increasingly we have in the SIC a larger share of diesel, which will eventually have an energy crisis. All construction will be fast technologies to solve the problem. The mini hydro may require at least 5 to 6 years ", so it is not an option for Spanish company.

Projects in the pipeline are progressing in all areas and on parallel tracks. Some are in the pipeline to obtain land in the north, others in engineering and advance the business side, determining the marketing of energy.

On investment that will demand these new developments, Solar says it will vary, depending on the projects. He explains that "the investment costs are known, for solar power photovoltaic, costs between U.S. $ 2.4 million and $ 2.5 million investment per MW, in wind farm ranging from $ 1.8 million to U.S. $ 1.9 million per MW. If concentrating solar thermal power, costs between $ 5 million and $ 8 million per MW, depending on the core factor that is designed "so that it is not yet possible to assess the total portfolio planning to build in the country.

By José santamarta, www.acciona.es