Argentine aluminum producer authorized to build transmission line

Argentine aluminum company Aluar was given federal energy department authorization to build a 132kV transmission link in Chubut province.

The 34km line would be for private use and connect wind generation assets to its aluminum plant in the city of Puerto Madryn. A 33/132kV transformer station is also planned.

In a resolution, the department says the line – which Alur would pay for – would connect to the second stage of its wind complex. 

Aluar would be granted exclusive usage of the line for 15 years before it is transferred to transmission concessionaire Transpa. This facet of the law, where privately built lines are later subject to an open access regime, could be revised in a context of demand for new power lines to connect isolated northern mines to renewables capacity.   

Last year Aluar cut the ribbon on a fourth wind power expansion, of 81MW.

Work, being carried out by construction firm Infa, has started on a fifth expansion with 336MW, which will ramp up Aluar wind capacity to 558MW. Phase 5 – along with phase 6, which is being mulled – falls under the banner of the La Flecha wind park. Turbines were due to start being offloaded from a vessel and transported to the construction site on Thursday, local press reported.

Output is used for Aluar’s operations and some is sold on the Mater term market, where the likes of factories buy clean power from renewable generators.  

For Aluar’s aluminum product manufacturing, 94% of electricity comes from renewable resources, while for production of primary aluminum the proportion is 44%, according to a 2024 company sustainability report.

Annually Aluar uses around 3.7TWh thermal energy, 2.31TWh hydropower and 661GWh wind.  

Manufacturers in Argentina are tightening their embrace of renewables, with decarbonization, supply costs and supply security key factors. 

Limited spare transmission capacity is seen as a bottleneck that needs addressing. A government transmission financing and development strategy is pending.

Argentina has 40 active early works phase wind power projects, according to the BNamericas projects database.