Copiapó, August 26, 2019 –The subsidiary of Enel Chile, Enel Green Power Chile began the construction of the new Campos del Sol photovoltaic solar park. With an installed capacity of about 382 MW, it corresponds to the largest solar plant currently under construction in Chili. The project, located 60 km northeast of Copiapó, in the Atacama Region, will involve a total investment of approximately 320 million dollars.
Paolo Pallotti, general manager of Enel Chile, said: “The start of construction of the Campos del Sol photovoltaic plant, as part of our 1.1 GW development plan for 2019-2021, is one more step in our sustainable strategy to reduce carbon footprint by increasing renewable capacity in our portfolio. This milestone, in the same year that Chile is organizing COP 25, confirms our commitment to the country's decarbonization plan launched last June and aimed at completely eliminating coal plants by 2040."
Campos del Sol will come into operation at the end of 2020 and it is estimated that it will generate around 1,160 GWh per year, avoiding the emission of more than 900 thousand tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Campos del Sol will have nearly one million bifacial PV panels, technology that maximizes energy generation by capturing solar radiation from both sides of the panel, generating on average 12% more electricity than conventional modules.
This solar project also stands out for its innovative and digital features. The Campos del Sol construction site will have state-of-the-art machinery guided and controlled by GPS, an autonomous drone will monitor the works, and tablets will be used to integrate information digitally through various platforms and in real time, boosting the project productivity and efficiency during the construction phase.
As part of the development process, Enel Green Power has initiated an ongoing dialogue with five Colla indigenous communities, comprising almost 100 people, to identify impact mitigation and how this project can generate value for these communities. As a result of this process, a shared plan has been designed with short, medium and long-term projects, in line with the priorities of the communities and the sustainable objectives of the company, such as the development of a sustainable tourism initiative in which is already being worked on together with the national NGO Rondó Foundation.
The Enel Group operates in Chile through Enel Chile and its subsidiaries, namely Enel Generación Chile and Enel Green Power Chile in the generation sector, Enel Distribución Chile in the distribution segment, as well as Enel X Chile in the advanced energy solutions. Enel is the largest electricity company in Chile by installed capacity with around 7,500 MW, of which 4,700 MW of renewable energy, composed of more than 3,500 MW of hydroelectric energy, more than 600 MW of wind energy, around 500 MW of solar energy and approx. 40 MW of geothermal energy. The Group in Chile has 1.9 million clients and more than 2,000 employees. The country is also home to Enel Américas, through which the Group operates in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
Enel Green Power is the global business line of the Enel Group dedicated to the development and operation of renewable energies around the world, with presence in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector with a managed capacity of more than 43 GW in a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric energy, and is at the forefront of the integration of innovative technologies in renewable energy plants.
Mankuk is supporting Enel in the development of this emblematic project.
Source: Enel
