Southern Cone power watch

Uruguay is planning to bolster transmission and distribution infrastructure to support businesses in rural areas, state utility UTE said.

UTE officials are working with budget office OPP on a 2022 spending proposal, which will involve funds of around US$200mn.

UTE chief Silvia Emaldi said that some of the spending would be pumped into projects to improve power infrastructure in the country’s interior.

“The objective is going to be addressing the productive sectors, sectors that require higher quality service, as well as serving the most vulnerable areas and people on the residential side, something we must provide as part of our social responsibility [commitment],” Emaldi said in a statement.

In parallel, Uruguay is leveraging distributed generation to help reach 100% electrification by the end of 2024. Around 2,500 families in rural areas are off-grid, largely on account of power infrastructure costs. To serve these people, solar PV and battery storage units will be installed, with monthly bills corresponding to equipment costs rather than electricity consumption.

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Argentina’s national electric power regulator Enre authorized YPF unit YPF Luz to connect the 120MW Cañadón León wind farm in Santa Cruz province to the grid.

Enre also issued a convenience and public need certificate for a new 33/132kV transformer station, according to a resolution published in the country’s official gazette. 

The station would be linked to the planned Santa Cruz Norte-Caleta Olivia transmission line. At the other end, the line would terminate at a station operated by power transmission firm Transpa.

Five renewables plants began injecting electricity into the grid in the second quarter, the government said this month. Three are wind and two biogas, contributing 188MW of installed capacity and requiring combined investments of US$276mn.