Argentina grants dispatch priority to three private PPAs for 26 MW of solar

The Minister of Energy and Mines of Argentina (MINEM) has published a list of the nine renewable energy projects, which have secured dispatch priority and have signed PPAs with a private company.

The MINEM said it had received 38 requests for dispatch priority for a total capacity of 2.15 GW under the MATER framework, which regulates the private PPA market, for the quarterly period between September and November.

The criteria, with which the nine projects were selected, were established based on interconnection point, date of planned start of commercial operations, and capacity of the projects.

Of the new projects, three are for solar power plants: the 14.9 MW P.S. Nonogasta V project, the 8 MW P.S. Saujil III project, and the 3 MW P.S. Cafayate Solar project. The other six projects, all for wind turbines, have a variable power of between 15 MW and 99 MW.

The first of the three photovoltaic projects will be located near Nonogasta in the northern province of La Rioja, while the second will be installed in Saujil, in the department of Pomán, in the province of Catamarca, which is also located in the north of the country. As for the third project, it will be located in another northern province, that of Salta, near the municipality of Cafayate.

The first PPA for a solar project was announced by developer, 360 Energy in September. At that time, the company said the investment for the plant, which will be operational in the coming months, will exceed $5 million and, in a first stage, will deliver 12,000 MWh per year for different factories and service companies. More details about the project, however, were not provided.

The Ministry of Energy and Mining of Argentina published on August 22, the Resolution 281 Act, in which it establishes the conditions for the signing of contracts between large electric users, power providers and producers.