Chile windward energy

Who is developing a wind power project in Chile?

The power project is being developed by Colbun, a utility company in Chile. Credit: Hitachi Energy. The construction for an expansion to 996MW is estimated to begin in H2 2025. Credit: Thorsten schier via Shutterstock. The 816MW Horizonte wind power project is located in the Antofagasta region of Chile. Credit: FairWind.

Does Chile have a wind farm?

Central Chile, near the main load center (Santiago) is found to have very limited wind potential, of only a couple of small projects, but wind farms in the north and south of the country have a very large wind potential.

What is the wind potential in Chile?

In Chile, geographical characteristics, such as the long coastline, valleys and large mountain range, make the conditions for the movement of air masses, creating multiple sites with significant wind potential , estimated recently at nearly 40,000 MW potential available .

What does the Horizonte wind farm mean for Chile?

The Horizonte wind farm marks a significant step forward for Chile in reaching its goal of sourcing 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The project is poised to enhance regional wind power generation capacity by 70%.

How many wind turbines are there in Chile?

Since 2006, wind capacity has been steeply increasing, reaching a total of 894.45 MW installed in July 2015, as it is shown in Table 1. This makes Chile as the second largest market for wind turbine generators (WTGs) in South America and the Caribbean, behind the local giant, Brazil. Table 1. Operating wind farms: technology, capacity and location.

Will the new Chilean electricity law affect the profitability of wind projects?

According the new Chilean electricity law those costs are going to be passed onto the consumers, thus not affecting the profitability of wind projects (not directly). Moreover, the Chilean system has some particularities that allow for the provision of reserves at lower costs.