President Piñera inaugurates Cerro Dominador solar complex in Antofagasta: “it is a step towards a cleaner, more sustainable world and a better quality of life”.
The complex will begin operating at full capacity when its Concentrated Solar Power Plant (CSP) is opened. It will be the first of its kind in Latin America and will generate enough clean energy to supply more than 380,000 homes.
On Tuesday, Chile’s President, Sebastián Piñera, inaugurated the Cerro Dominador thermosolar and photovoltaic complex, located in the municipality of María Elena in the Antofagasta Region.
“The challenge of fighting the climate crisis with strength and willpower will make the difference between survival and affect the quality of life that we and future generations will have,” said the President, accompanied by Energy and Mining Minister Juan Carlos Jobet and Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt, alongside Regional Governor of the Antofagasta Region, Rodrigo Saavedra, and Cerro Dominador executives.
Located in the Atacama Desert, a region that possesses some of the world’s highest levels of solar radiation, Cerro Dominador will generate 210 MW of clean energy, enough to supply around 382,000 homes without interruption.
The project comprises a photovoltaic plant and a Concentrated Solar Power Plant (CSP), covering an area of one thousand hectares (2,471 acres). Together they will prevent the release of approximately 630,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually, a figure equivalent to the circulation of 135,000 vehicles per year.
“This plant was built with state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge sensitivity. The majority of the workers who built the plant are from the Antofagasta Region and almost half are women. The way that the use of water was approached has been exemplary, given that it is such a scarce and valuable element. We are therefore not only talking about technology here, but also about sensitivity and a commitment to local communities,” the President explained.
The project has made a tremendous contribution to local economic development and the economic reactivation of the region. It has involved a total investment of approximately US$ 1.3 billion and has had a positive impact on local job creation. 1,501 direct jobs were provided during construction and some 80 permanent positions have been created for the plant to operate.
“It is a step towards a better, cleaner, more sustainable and greener world, in which human beings will not only be assured of survival on Planet Earth, but will also have a better quality of life,” the President stated.
The project is part of Chile’s commitment to strengthen its clean energy industry, to speed up the decarbonization of the National Energy Matrix and to create an environmentally friendly future.
Huge steps have been made thanks to technological development and the joint work of different public and private sector stakeholders. Over the past six years, the use of solar and wind power in Chile’s energy matrix has increased tenfold and continues to rise. Chile is capable of producing 70 times more electricity than current demand, thanks to solar radiation in the north of the country, which is the best in the world, and to its wind power potential, especially in the south. Chile also possesses the potential for the development of geothermal and hydroelectric production.
“This year, we will be inaugurating more clean energy projects in Chile than ever before,” the President concluded.