Roundup: Climate change adaption, standalone energy projects, pellet plant conversion

Energy sector adaption plan

Uruguay has put out to public consultation a national climate change adaption plan for the energy sector.

The country is a renewables champion, typically getting around 99% of its power from hydroelectric dams, wind farms, solar parks and biomass plants.

The objective of the plan, the energy ministry said in a statement, is improving the resilience, and reducing the vulnerability of the system, as well as improving its capacity to adapt.

The plan, one of several committed to under the Paris Agreement, is due to start being implemented in several phases next year.

Officials have established five action areas: governance; capacity and awareness building; information management and knowledge building; vulnerability reduction; and monitoring, evaluation and learning. 

Uruguay’s hydropower sector was impacted by a severe drought between September 2022 and August 2023.

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Energy storage projects

Two standalone energy storage projects were submitted for environmental review in Chile in recent days.

Each with a price tag of US$45mn and capacity of up to 200MWh, they are the latest put forward by developer Biwo Renewables. 

Project Volcán Melimoyu is planned for Maule region, and Volcán Sollipulli for Los Lagos region.

Chile's southern regions, where wind capacity is being built out, have started to register curtailment.

Pellet plant LNG conversion

Company CMP, the mining arm of Chilean iron ore and steel group CAP, filed for environmental review an US$11.1mn project to convert to LNG usage its Huasco iron ore pellet plant in Atacama region.

Under plans, the company would cease using coal but retain diesel and fuel oil as backup fuels. 

Components proposed include a satellite regasification plant with storage capacity of 1,299m3.

The project amends previously approved efficiency and emissions control initiatives.

Pellet production in 2022 was 6.19Mt, according to a CMP annual report.