EDF Completes Chile Expansion

French power giant EDF said May 11 that, as part of a joint venture with Chile’s AME, it completed the acquisition of 750-MW of largely gas-fired generation plants in Chile the previous day.

The $300mn divestment by US firm AES was agreed in December 2017. Included are the 379-MW Nueva Renca combined-cycle gas-fired plant (CCGT) and three smaller peak-demand units (100 to 139 MW).

EDF and AME are already partners in the Santiago Solar power plant (115 MW) and in a gas-to-power project comprising el Campesino CCGT and an LNG storage/regasification venture (GNL Penco). 

GNL Penco should have started up by about now. However it has been delayed by government permitting procedures, said shipowner Hoegh LNG in February; the firm will eventually provide its regas ship.  

EDF said that Chile is seeking to raise the proportion of renewables in its energy mix to 60% by 2035 while phasing out coal-fired plants by 2050. It added that combining renewables with peaking capacity is one of Chile’s (and EDF’s) energy transition strategies.