Chile's Tarapacá land auction draws single bidder

An auction for three plots of government land in northern Chile’s Tarapacá region and earmarked for renewable energy projects attracted one bid.

The acreage, corresponding to process DEX 47, is being offered by the national assets ministry. An award decision is due by June 30.

Up for grabs were the 202ha Pampa Perdiz, the 19.8ha Salar Grande Sur and the 261ha Salar Grande plots.

The sole bidder was Cielpanel, which proposed a 6MW project at Salar Grande Sur with an associated investment window of 66 months.

Officials base award decisions on the concession payment offered, the size of the proposed project and the speed of investment. Contracts run for 40 years from the date of award. 

ATACAMA

Ministry staff are also auctioning, via process DX 509, acreage in Atacama region south of Tarapacá, with award decisions due by June 19. The areas are the 1,660ha, seven-lot Llano Indio de Plata, the 93.1ha El Inca, the 56.7ha Llano de Varas, the 25.0ha Mina Los Colorados and the 1,140ha Diego de Almagro.

No bids were received for Llano Indio de Plata or El Inca. Celeo Redes Chile proposed a 400MW plant for Diego de Almagro over a 72-month investment window, while Mina Los Colorados drew two bids from Cielpanel (9MW, 65 months) and BESS Halcón 8 (16MW, 30 months).

ARICA Y PARINACOTA

The three-lot Cerro Chuño (68ha), three-lot Pampa Dos Cruces 2022 (90ha) and Pampa Chaca (120ha) in the far north Arica y Parinacota region are also being auctioned, via process DX 507, with award decisions due June 7. 

BESS Halcón 7 submitted the only bid, involving a 42MW project at Cerro Chuño lot C, which would be developed over a 30-month period.

UPCOMING AUCTIONS

In terms of future auctions of government land concessions, a ministry portal lists one: the 930ha Pampa Camarones 2 in Arica y Parinacota.

ARGENTINE AUCTION

Meanwhile, in Argentina, an auction of transmission priority dispatch capacity corresponding to 1Q23 did not draw any bids chiefly on account of a lack of space on power lines, local media outlet Energía Estratégica reported. Stakeholder interest in a parallel process to award supply contracts in the regulated market was also a factor, it added.

Renewable power sector players have been calling on the government to bolster the grid to support the addition of new solar and wind plants. 

Argentina is experiencing dispatch congestion, particularly in zones with abundant renewable energy resources.

Mendoza province’s energy company Emesa had issued a call for companies to present renewables projects in Q1 geared to the Mater term market, where large consumers contract power directly from generators, who, in turn, seek priority dispatch capacity for their output.