Enel begins construction on Chile wind farm

Enel Green Power (EGP) has started building its 112 MW Sierra Gorda wind farm, named after the town where it is located, which is approximately 60 kilometres from the city of Calama in the Chilean region of Antofagasta.

Sierra Gorda is owned by Enel Green Power Chile Ltda. and is expected to be completed and enter into service by the end of 2016. Once fully operational, the facility will generate more than 295 GWh each year – equivalent to the annual power consumption needs of around 130,000 Chilean households – while avoiding the emission of over 140,000 tonnes of CO2.

EGP will invest approximately 215 million US dollars in the construction of the new facility, in line with the growth targets set out in the company’s current business plan. The project will be financed through the Enel Green Power Group’s own resources and will be supported by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).

The energy generated by the Sierra Gorda wind farm will be delivered to the transmission network Chile’s northern region, SING (Sistema Interconectado del Norte Grande).

EGP currently operates a portfolio of plants in Chile that have a combined installed capacity of around 600 MW, of which 340 MW comes from wind power, 154 MW from PV solar and 92 MW from hydropower. In addition, Enel Green Power currently has close to 600 MW of projects in execution which, when completed, will bring the company’s total installed capacity in Chile to about 1,200 MW. Among these projects, EGP is building Cerro Pabellòn, South America’s first geothermal plant that has a gross installed capacity of 48 MW, in partnership with ENAP.