RWE submits its first project in Chile for environmental assessment

The Los Durmientes project, a 244 MW photovoltaic solar farm with a storage option, which will be located in the municipality and Region of Antofagasta, submitted its DIA for processing. It will involve an investment of US$300 million.

RWE Renewables announced Tuesday that it has submitted its first project in Chile for environmental assessment. The project is Los Durmientes, a 244 MW photovoltaic solar farm with a storage option, which will be located in the municipality and Region of Antofagasta, specifically 180 kilometers from the city.

The project, whose Environmental Impact Statement (Declaración de Impacto Ambiental or DIA) was admitted for processing, will be connected to the Monte Mina substation with a 220 kV line of approximately 30 kilometers and is expected to generate around 550 jobs at the peak of construction.

Los Durmientes, which considers an investment of approximately US$300 million, began development in 2022, after being awarded a public land concession (Concesión de Uso Oneroso, CUO) for 374.46 hectares of fiscal land through a National Assets public tender process.

Los Durmientes is part of the company’s 2.5 GW photovoltaic and wind portfolio under development throughout Chile. In addition, the Vientos Magallánicos project of approximately 1 GW seeks to produce green ammonia in the Laguna Blanca municipality, Magallanes Region.

In a press release, the company’s Country Manager, Alfredo Zañartu, said that “this is a major milestone for RWE in Chile and we are very happy with the work we have done as a team.” “Los Durmientes is the first project submitted for environmental assessment since we arrived in the country in 2019. This is because our strategy is based on contributing to carbon neutrality goals through renewable energy, with projects that we develop from the early stages, and this step is an example of that,” he added.

Meanwhile, Trinidad Echeverría, Director of Development, said that “we have been gathering information from the field for over a year to ensure that we have robust data. In this context, we expect to move forward and start construction in 2026, consequently injecting more clean energy into the system in 2027.”

The German giant

RWE has been in Chile since 2019. This announcement is an important step for RWE, as it is its first project in Chile and part of a portfolio of 2.8 GW under development. The German-owned company has 125 years of experience and around 20,000 employees in 30 countries.

It is currently one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies with an installed capacity of 16.3 GW, which is distributed as 53% wind energy, 20% offshore energy and 27% solar energy and batteries. From 2024 to 2030, RWE aims to invest EUR 55 billion in renewable energies to meet the carbon neutrality target by 2040.

Source: Diario Financiero.