100 MW PV plant at 3,740 m altitude in Bolivia
Bolivia, Oruro: With 50 MW complete under phase II, 100 MW Oruro solar power project will cover 100 % electricity demand of Oruro City in Bolivia
Image source: Taiyang News
Bolivia, Oruro: With 50 MW complete under phase II, 100 MW Oruro solar power project will cover 100 % electricity demand of Oruro City in Bolivia
The Bolivian city of Oruro has become home to a 100 MW solar power plant that is set to provide for 100 % of its electricity demand, according to the country’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy. Phase II of the project with 50 MW capacity was inaugurated by the country’s President Luis Arce Caracora on 10 February 2021.
The project is ready to start commercial operations with grid connection to the national grid.
Built with $54.7 M investment for 2×50 MW capacity each, the Oruro PV facility uses 300,000 solar panels deployed across 208 ha of land. It was built in 2 phases, according to the ministry. It expands the country’s existing solar power capacity that includes several other PV projects.
Both the phases were built by Spanish company TSK using polycrystalline silicon solar panels for Ende Corporacion, the Bolivian electricity provider.
This happens to be the maiden project funded by the French government agency AFD in Bolivia that called it one of the world’s highest solar power plants built at an altitude of 3,730 M. The country aims to move away from diesel and gas produced thermal power generation to a low carbon mix in its energy production. According to the Latin America Investment Facility funded by the European Union, Bolivia aims to reach 70 % of installed capacity of renewable energies, mainly wind and solar, by 2025.
Source: Taiyang News