Statkraft secures environmental clearance for 671 MW solar & storage project in Chile; Voltalia breaks ground for 260 MW solar project in Brazil; Blue Elephant Energy acquires 44 MW solar capacity in Chile.
671 MW solar project cleared for Chile: Norway's Statkraft has secured a go ahead from Chile's Antofagasta Environmental Assessment Commission for its proposal to develop a 671 MW solar power plant, one of the largest in the country equipped with battery energy storage with 4 hour capacity. Pauna Solar PV Project will be built using over a million bifacial solar modules by Statkraft Chile with commercial operations planned in 2024. It is planned to be located in María Elena municipality of Antofagasta on some 809-hectare land. Statkraft said the project will enable it to supply power to businesses, especially in the mining sector, and also support its growth plans in green hydrogen space.
Voltalia constructing 260 MW project in Brazil: France's Voltalia has started construction on site of its 260 MW solar power plant in Brazil. The Solar Serra do Mel 3, 4, 5 & 6 (SSM3-6) project is backed by a 14-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Brazilian utility Copel. It will come into effect once the facility is operation in H1/2023. The construction of this capacity will extend the ongoing construction of SSM1&2 with 320 MW. The SSM3-6 project is part of the Serra Branca Complex entirely developed by the French company in Rio Grande do Norte designed to host 2.4 GW renewables capacity which Voltalia terms as the largest wind and solar complex in the world. With the construction on 260 MW, 80% of the 2.4 GW capacity of the complex is now either under construction or in operation, shared Voltalia.
BEE expands Chilean portfolio to 161 MW: Blue Elephant Energy (BEE) from Germany has expanded its Chilean portfolio to 161 MW with the addition of 44 MW new capacity. It acquired 2 solar PV projects with 20 MW combined capacity from Finland's Korkia and MoonValley Capital and another 24 MW from Chilean developer oEnergy Generación Solar Distribuida SpA. Entire 44 MW will be built in a joint venture between BEE and oEnergy. These projects are spread in the regions of Valparaíso, Metropolitana de Santiago, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Maule and Biobío. All of these are at ready-to-build (RTB) and scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2022.