Authorities in northern Chile have approved Ibereólica’s 793.6MW Antofagasta wind farm.
The US$684 million project would consist of 128 turbines with power ratings of 6.2MW and could begin operating as soon as 2026, according to the wind farm's environmental impact study.
If built, the farm would be Chile’s second largest behind Colbún’s 812MW Horizonte project, which is currently under construction and due to begin commercial operations next year.
The Antofagasta approval comes weeks after Ibereólica began generating power at its 165.3MW Atacama wind farm, which it built through a joint venture with Spain’s Repsol. The two companies now operate 358MW of wind energy capacity in Chile.
According to the Chilean National Energy Commission’s latest report on the renewable energy sector, there is currently 3,821MW of wind capacity in operation and 629MW under construction. Licences have been granted for 13.7GW of wind capacity while licences for another 4,577MW are currently under evaluation.
