Enel Green Power starts construction on 61MW solar plant in Chile.

Enel Green Power, a subsidiary of Italian energy company Enel, has started construction on the 60.9MW Azabache solar plant, located about 10km from the city of Calama in Chile.

The solar plant is located on the grounds of Enel Green Power’s 90MW Valle de los Vientos wind farm. Located in the Antofagasta Region, the solar plant is being built with an investment of about $49m.

The solar plant is expected to be completed early next year and will generate about 184GWh of clean energy while helping avoid 136,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere annually.

Once the solar plant is completed, it will operate together with the Valle de los Vientos wind farm and the combination will become the first hybrid industrial plant in the country.

During the construction phase, nearly 230 people will be employed at the site. The solar plant will be powered by about 154,710 bifacial panels to ensure up to 20% more electricity generation by capturing more solar radiation.

Enel Green Power Chile general manager James Lee Stancampiano said: “We are continuing to develop and build renewable projects despite the current challenging situation because we remain strongly committed to our decarbonisation plan for the benefit of the whole energy system.

“Toward this aim, increasingly streamlined authorization processes are important to allow other renewable projects to go ahead, further contributing to the country’s sustainable and economic growth.”

Enel Green Power also said that rigorous work protocols have been put in place to ensure high safety standards during the construction are maintained, in respect to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation.

The protocols range from mandatory and permanent use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), social distancing and traceability on site.

The implemented protocols can ensure the health and safety of Enel Green Power’s employees, subcontractors’ workers and the local community.

Earlier this month, Enel announced the start of construction on its 50MW Los Naranjos solar plant in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.