Etrion completes construction of 70 MW solar energy plant in Chile

Etrion, a solar independent power producer, has constructed the 70MW Salvador project in the Atacama region of Chile.

 

The Salvador project is considered to be the world’s largest solar power plant based on spot market electricity revenues and is the second-largest solar park connected in Chile.

Etrion chief executive officer Marco Northland said: “The 70 MW Salvador solar park was connected five months ahead of schedule and under budget thanks to the hard work of our local team and contractors.

“This project almost doubles Etrion’s installed net capacity and is expected to significantly increase our annual cash flow. We look forward to advancing our 99 MW of greenfield solar development pipeline in Chile next year.”

Etrion owns 70% of the project, which was built on 133ha leased from the Chilean government through a long-term concession, while the 20% will be held by Total and 10% by a local developer.

Power generated from the project will be sold on the spot market and supplied to the Sistema Interconectado Central (SIC) electricity network.

The solar power plant was connected to the grid through the power infrastructure of Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco).

The facility would produce approximately 200 gigawatt-hours of solar electricity annually, which is enough to supply electricity to approximately 80,000 households in Chile.