Argentina plans 1 gigawatt solar + storage project

PV Magazine

The governor of Jujuy Province, Argentina has announced that the region will welcome another PV plant of enormous size.

During a presentation on the progress of the Cauchari 1, 2 and 3 projects, which are 300 MW and which were awarded in last year’s national renewable energy auction, Morales stated that Power China would build a new plant up to 1 GW in capacity woudl be built in the province. The exact location has not been specified.

According to Morales’ statements, the installation should supply electricity 24 hours per day and for this reason will be combined with energy storage systems.

“We should be able to meet the deadlines for securing adequate capacity for the production and transportation of energy,” stated Morales in a meeting with the press in Buenos Aires. “

The challenge is to continue with the construction of a 1000 megwattt plant, which should be the most important int he world along with the one in Dubai which is beginning construction.”

Furthermore, Morales revealed that an un-named Italian company is planning a lithium-ion battery factory in Jujuy.

Morales added that Chinese PV maker Talesun is advancing the construction of a factory for modules which will be used in the construction of the Cauchari 1, 2 and 3 plants.

The 300 MW Cauchari PV project was the winning project in the Round 1 renewable energy auction which was held last year, coming in at a price of US$60 per megawatt-hour.

The project is being build by state-owned enterprise JEMSE SE (State of Jujuy Energy and Mining Company). According to a press release published by the government of Jujuy in September, JEMSE has been invited to establish ties with Chinese companies Power China, Shanghai Electric and Talesun.

According to Morales, Shanghai Electric and Talesun have pledged to make economic and technological contributions to a the Technological Institute of Renewable energy, which will be stablished in the region.

Meanwhile, in January Talesun signed an agreement to build a 5 MW PV plant in the La Quiaca, which will include lithium-ion battery storage. This project has been awarded a contract to supply electricity for 20 years at a price of US$60 per MWh in the first round of the national auction last year.

The region of Jujuy offers some of the best solar radiation in the world.

Source: PV Magazine. Reproduced with permission.