• Inauguration of the Boléro solar power plant, the Group's most powerful in operation
• Launch of construction of the 115 MWp Santiago Solar power plant
• Entry of the EDF Group into wind power in Chile, with the launch of the construction of the new Cabo Leones 1 wind farm, one of the most powerful in the country
Two major solar projects in Chile
In the presence of Andres Rebolledo Smitmans, Chilean Minister of Energy, Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman and CEO of EDF, inaugurates the Boléro solar power plant, located in the Atacama desert in northern Chile.
Jointly owned equally by EDF Energies Nouvelles, a subsidiary of the Group dedicated to renewable energies, and Marubeni, its Japanese partner, the Boléro photovoltaic solar power plant, with an installed capacity of 146 MWp, represents the most powerful solar power plant commissioned by the Group to date. It is capable of supplying 191,000 Chilean homes with electricity annually and prevents the emission of 380,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Boléro solar park, made up of 475,000 photovoltaic modules equipped with trackers to follow the path of the sun, extends over more than 500 hectares, the equivalent of more than 700 football fields. Located in the Atacama Desert, it benefits from the highest level of solar radiation in the world.
EDF EN Chile, local subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, started the project in 2015 and will be in charge of its operation and maintenance. This achievement benefits the local economy, with an average of 280 people mobilized during the construction phase and around twenty mobilized during the life of the installation.
The EDF Group is continuing its development in photovoltaics in Chile with the launch announced last October of a solar project with an installed capacity of 115 MWp. Located north of the Chilean capital, the Santiago Solar solar power plant will be owned equally by EDF Energies Nouvelles and Andes Mining Energy (AME), a local developer. Part of the production of the solar project will benefit from a 15-year electricity purchase contract concluded with around twenty distributors; the rest will be sold on the market.
Entry into wind power in Chile
EDF Energies Nouvelles is also entering the wind power sector in Chile and announces the construction of the Cabo Leones 1 project with a capacity of 115 MW.
This project, whose financial closing has just been completed, won a purchase contract following the multi-energy auction organized by the Chilean government in October 2015. Co-owned in equal shares by EDF Energies Nouvelles and the installation developer Spanish renewable energy company, Ibereolica, it is located on the coast of the Atacama region, in northern Chile and is made up of 55 turbines with a unit capacity of 2.1 MW. The commissioning of this future wind farm, construction of which has just begun, is scheduled for the end of the first half of 2017.
This large-scale project allows EDF Energies Nouvelles to install 376 MW of renewable energy capacity in the country. The group's presence in this emerging market is part of the Chilean Government's ambitions to produce 20% of electricity from renewable energies by 2025, to meet growing energy demand. In addition, the country benefits from natural conditions that are particularly favorable to the development of renewable energies.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman and CEO of EDF, declared on this occasion: “I am delighted with the confidence placed in the EDF Group by the Chilean authorities and by all of our partners who participate alongside us in the implementation or development of our renewable energy projects. With its CAP 2030 strategy, the EDF Group is determined to strengthen its international presence, particularly in countries like Chile, which benefits from both a significant need for energy, high-quality natural resources and an attractive economy with strong potential. »
Press release initially issued by the EDF Group.
About EDF Energies Nouvelles
EDF Energies Nouvelles is an international leader in renewable electricity with an installed capacity of more than 9 GW gross worldwide. Its development is mainly focused on wind power and photovoltaic solar power. Mainly present in Europe and North America, EDF EN continues its development by taking a position in new promising markets and in new countries such as South Africa, Brazil, Chile, China and India. The Company, which is strongly positioned in the offshore wind sector, is also present in other renewable energy sectors: marine energies, biogas and biomass as well as in distributed energies. EDF EN ensures the development and construction of renewable energy projects as well as their operation and maintenance, for its own account and on behalf of third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is the subsidiary of the EDF group dedicated to the development of renewable energies.
Press Contacts
Manon of Cassini-Hérail ▪ Tel: +33 {0} 1.40.90.48.22 ▪ e-mail: manon.decassini-herail@edf-en.com
Clarisse Placidoux ▪ Tel: +33 {0} 1.40.90.49.46 ▪ e-mail: clarisse.placidoux@edf-en.com