The CEME1 480-megawatt Solar Farm in Chile.
The CEME1 480-megawatt Solar Farm, built by POWERCHINA in Chile, was connected to the grid on April 24 at full capacity, meaning it will soon begin operating commercially.
The solar farm is the largest new energy project built by POWERCHINA in the Americas and the first grid-connected solar power project independently built by POWRCHINA in Chile.
Located in the Atacama Desert, which is hailed as the world's "dry pole", the solar farm covers an area of 400 hectares. POWERCHINA is responsible for the construction of a photovoltaic field, a 33/220 kilovolt booster station and a 9.2-kilometer single-circuit transmission line.
Since construction began on Oct 5, 2021, POWERCHINA has overcome numerous challenges, including hot weather, intense UV radiation, and frequent sandstorms. It completed the back-feeding of electricity of the 220kV booster station on March 8, 2024 and achieved mechanical completion on April 17.
The farm is estimated to generate approximately 2,863 megawatt-hours of electricity daily, providing clean energy to around 400,000 households. This will result in an annual reduction of approximately 280,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, significantly contributing to local environmental improvement and advancing Chile's energy transition.
