Argentine province launches 48MW distributed generation tender

A two-phase distributed generation project in Argentine province Jujuy has advanced.

The provincial government’s energy and mining company, Jemse, launched a tender for 12 solar PV plants for a total of 48MW.

Work involves building, operating and maintaining the assets under a 20-year contract.

Interested parties need to submit their offers by March 3, according to a notice in the province’s official gazette. Bid envelopes are scheduled to be opened the same day.

The second phase will involve expanding the parks – which will supply the local market – to ramp up overall capacity to around 97MW, BNamericas has learnt. 

Jujuy also has projects on the drawing board. Among them is a proposed solar power complex. The project, which comprises an 11MW solar thermal module and a 12MW solar PV unit, requires outlay of 14.6bn pesos (US$140mn), according to the jurisdiction’s development plan. The package of projects led with provincial funding or involving national or international financing paid with provincial funds – among them the solar project – involves 53.1bn pesos. 

Other projects in this category include the 20bn-peso, 200MW expansion of the 315MW Caucharí solar PV park, along with distributed generation, public building and surveillance camera and datacenter initiatives. The federal government is reportedly close to inking a US$35bn financing deal with China that would encompass various projects, including Caucharí.

Elsewhere on the Argentine renewable energy map, government officials recently launched a federal agency, known as the Clúster de Energía Renovables Nacional, to develop renewables projects. A key focus of the public sector-led initiative is on the domestic provision of wind and solar power generation equipment. 

During an associated signing ceremony, power generations solutions company Impsa – recently acquired by the Argentine state – and San Juan province energy company Epse signed a framework agreement. Under the accord, the former agrees to run Epse’s future 71MW/y solar panel factory, jointly build Epse’s Tocota solar plant and develop an associated electronics production facility. Another facet is building and operating future solar PV parks that Epse plans to develop in the cluster provinces: San Juan, Río Negro, La Rioja, Catamarca, Mendoza and Neuquén.

In other news, national oil and gas company YPF’s power generation unit YPF Luz said it had issued its first green bond, raising US$63.9mn. Proceeds from the 10-year dollar-linked bond will be used to build YPF Luz’s first solar park, 100MW Zonda 1, in San Juan. Estimated investment is US$93mn.

Output will be sold to industrial clients through the country’s term market, Mater, with plans to eventually expand installed capacity to 300MW, YPF Luz said in a statement.

Wholesale power market administrator Cammesa last year granted Zonda 1 dispatch priority of 8MW.

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