Soltec supplied 420 MW bifacial trackers for projects in Chile and Colombia; Nexans supplies low and medium voltage cables for La Loma project in Colombia; EGP built 1.95 GW renewables in Latam in 2021; Chile launches plan to support upcoming green hydrogen projects.

420 MW Soltec trackers for Latam: Spain’s Soltec has supplied its 420 MW SF7 bifacial trackers for 2 projects in Chile and Colombia, both of which are already under construction now. Project completion is targeted for 2022 by developer Enel Green Power (EGP). Soltec said it will undertake other construction services for the said projects. Soltec claims its SF7 bifacial trackers to generate 2.1% more power than its peer products.

EGP built 1.95 GW new RE in Latam in 2021: EGP counts having built 5.12 GW new renewables capacity globally in 2021, out of which the maximum, 1.95 GW, came up in Latin America, mainly in Brazil and Chile. The new 5.12 GW capacity includes around 70 plants divided into 2.596 GW of wind and 2.238 GW of solar energy projects. The year was significant as EGP also ventured into battery energy storage systems (BESS) with 220 MW in the US. The renewables arm of Italian utility ENEL now counts its total renewables capacity to add up to approximately 54 GW which it claims makes it the world’s ‘largest private operator in the renewable sector’. Its pipeline of projects under development also grew to around 370 GW including renewables, BESS and capacity already in execution.

French cables for Colombia’s largest solar plant: French cables and optical fiber company Nexans has secured a ‘partial award’ from EGP for its low and medium voltage cable for La Loma Solar Plant in Colombia. Nexans has supplied more than 390 km of low and medium voltage cable manufactured at its plants in Colombia and Peru. EGP is building the 187 MW DC solar farm in Cesar department of Colombia as the country’s ‘largest’ under construction solar project to date.

Chile’s Green Hydrogen plan: Recently, the Chilean Minister of Energy and Mining Juan Carlos Jobet announced the Plan+Energy: Green Hydrogen to monitor, support and guide green hydrogen projects at different stages of development in the country. The ministry will appoint an expert team to make sure green hydrogen projects are developed in a participatory manner and with a long term perspective. Under the plan, it will manage public land under the Ministry of National Assets to develop such projects, support the proponents of such projects with guidance on possible location of projects and related information. The ministry said it will come out with more details within the next few days.