Spanish firm Ibereolica wins approval for 805-MW wind project in Chile

Spanish renewables developer Grupo Ibereolica Renovables has secured the environmental approval to raise a 805.2-MW wind farm in the Chilean region of Antofagasta.

The mammoth project will involve the installation of 122 pieces of Siemens Gamesa 6.6-MW wind turbines and an investment of roughly USD 684 million (EUR 644.2m), according to the company's filing with the Chilean environmental evaluation service (SEA).

The environmental permitting for this project, named Antofagasta, started in late December 2020 when Grupo Ibereolica proposed to build a 793.6-MW wind farm in the region. At the time, the company had in mind 128 turbines of 6.2 MW.

Half-way through the evaluation and in response to the feedback on its environmental impact study (EIS), Grupo Ibereolica redesigned the project layout and submitted an addendum to the EIS.

The new document shows that the company decided to scrap six turbines and relocate 52 machines. Thanks to software updates made by Siemens Gamesa, the turbine unit capacity will now reach 6.6 MW, Grupo Ibereolica said in the revised EIS.

The investment amount appears to have remained unchanged.

Construction of the Antofagasta wind farm will be carried out in two back-to-back phases, starting with the installation of the 52 relocated turbines. Works are expected to start in July 2023.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.942)

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