X-ELIO inaugurates its first solar plant in Chile

X-Elio has inaugurated Uribe Solar, its first photovoltaic solar power plant in Chile, which has been running “in tests” since January 8, as reported in a press release. The project, located on a 217-hectare plot of land, has 56.7 megawatts (MW) of installed power and a single-axis solar tracking system. It is estimated that the […]

X-Elio has inaugurated Uribe Solar, its first photovoltaic solar power plant in Chile, which has been running “in tests” since January 8, as reported in a press release.

The project, located on a 217-hectare plot of land, has 56.7 megawatts (MW) of installed power and a single-axis solar tracking system.

It is estimated that the park will be able to produce 150 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year, equivalent to the consumption of 51,550 homes. In addition, the plant will allow the emission of 61,800 tons of CO2 to be avoided.

During the inauguration ceremony, Chile’s energy minister Andres Rebolledo said that the Uribe Solar photovoltaic plant is part of the “transformation” carried out in the energy matrix and maintained that “Chile has comparative advantages”, since it is a “leader at the regional level and a leading player at the global level”.

According to the minister, 17% of the installed capacity for generating electricity in Chile is solar and wind power, about 3,800 MW. In addition, Rebolledo explained that the forecast of its government is to reach the 5,000 MW.

At this ceremony, Chilean Undersecretary of National Assets, Jorge Maldonado, said that “Chile is currently the Latin American country with the greatest investment in this area.” He also pointed out that it had met the commitments it had made at the Paris Summit, since it had granted 152 long-term concessions for generating solar energy since 2014.

For his part, X-Elio’s CEO, Jorge Barredo, stressed that this “will make an essential contribution to the sustainable development of the area and will mean a significant advance in the preservation of the environment.”

Souce: Europapress

Date: 19/06/2017