El Salvador has taken another major step towards the sustained development of renewable energy infrastructure.
Following the successful implementation of a renewable energy auction last year, El Salvador has announced yet another auction for the allocation of 150 MW capacity. Utility company Delsur will soon auction 100 MW of solar power and 50 MW of wind energy capacity. Projects allocated after the auction are expected to become operational by 2018.
The details of the planned auction shared by Delsur come after El Salvador’s National Energy Council announced plans to auction 150 MW of renewable energy projects last year. The South American country conducted its last renewable energy auction in 2014, when it offered 100 MW capacity of which 94 MW capacity was allocated to solar power projects. In the 2014 auction, 26 companies placed bids to set up solar power projects, though only three were eventually awarded the projects.
The largest project of 60 MW was awarded to a joint venture of French developer Neoen and local conglomerate Almaval under a 20-year power purchase agreement at a tariff of US$0.10 per kWh.
Also, UDP Proyecto La Trinidad and Solar Reserve Development secured rights to develop 14 MW and 20 MW solar PV power projects, respectively. Both the companies quoted a tariff bid of US$0.12 per kWh.
