New $50 M transmission line in Chile
Elecnor has filed an EIS with Chile’s environmental evaluation service for a $50.5 M transmission project. The line will connect Melipilla with Viña del Mar.
Chile: Spain’s Elecnor has filed an EIS with Chile’s environmental evaluation service for a $50.5 M transmission project.
The 107 km line will connect Melipilla in the Metropolitan region with the coastal city of Viña del Mar in Valparaíso region.
The line will link four substations – Nueva Alto Melipilla, Casablanca, Agua Santa and La Pólvora – and the project involves construction of a new substation, Nueva Casablanca. The La Pólvora substation is also owned by Elecnor and is in the process of seeking environmental approval.
The project, originally conceived under grid coordinator CEN’s 2017 transmission expansion plans, is part of an ongoing push by public and private sector players to increase the robustness and reach of Chile’s transmission infrastructure. The aim is to begin construction in September 2021 and finish in 2023.
The need to strengthen transmission infrastructure stems in part from the increasing penetration of renewable energy, which will strain the grid and require flexibility to cope with big fluctuations in demand and supply.
Since an increasing number of solar projects are being installed in northern Chile, a significant part of the transmission overhaul is concentrated in those regions.
Source: BN Americas