Aug. 16 – Taltal will be Enel Frenn Power’s largest wind farm in Chile, located in the omonymous district in the Antofagasta region, 1.550 km north of Santiago. The plant will comprise 33 wind turbines of 3 MW each, for a total installed capacity of 99 MW. Total investment for the construction of the new wind farm amounts to, approximately, $190 million. Once in operation, Taltal generate up to over 300 GWh a year, avoiding the emission of more than 200,000 tons of CO2 each year. Furthermore, its energy production will meet the consumption needs of 170,000 Chilean households. The project is supported by a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The energy generated by the new wind farm will be delivered to the Chilean central region transmission network (SIC), through the Paposo substation, some 50 km away from the plant. The public land concession for the development of the wind farm was awarded to Enel Green Power in 2012 as a result of the first Chilean public tender jointly organized by the Ministry of National Assets and the Ministry of Energy. The aim was to endorse diversification in the Chilean energy mix, promote the development of renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions and energy dependency from abroad, as well as enhance power supply. “Taltal is the third wind farm we are building in Chile and certainly not the last – stated Fulvio Conti, CEO of Enel. – “We are rapidly growing in this country and in several other Latin American countries across all segments of the energy sector. Latin America is a continent which significantly contributes to Group results, thanks to its strong economic growth and related increase in energy consumption. As per renewables, through Enel Green Power, and all the technologies and the know-how our Group manages, we are constantly growing at global level, thus supporting governments’ efforts in generation mix diversification.” In Chile, Enel Green Power operates two hydro plants for a total installed capacity of 92 MW, and one 90 MW wind farm, Talinay. Besides Taltal, the company is also building its 90 MW “Valle de los Vientos” wind project, which is also located in the Antofagasta region.
