METLEN Energy & Metals inaugurated its second own project in Chile, Doña Antonia solar park. It is an investment of 65 million dollars with an installed capacity of 90 MW that will provide clean 100% renewable energy for the green development of the country.
The ceremony was attended, amongst others, by the Greek ambassador to Chile, Nikolaos Piperigos, the senator for the Coquimbo region, Sergio Gahona, the deputy for district 5, Marco Antonio Sulantay, as well as regional government authorities and representatives of neighboring communities.
The solar park has 151,920 panels and was included in the Pro-growth project portfolio for the region. It is located on a 200-hectare private plot located 14 kilometers north of Ovalle, in the Coquimbo region.
The construction of the project began in 2023, with an average of more than 400 workers on site, and at the end of 2025 it will add energy storage batteries (BESS), the latest trend in the industry that allows for optimizing consumption by storing the energy obtained during sunlight hours.
During construction, outreach work was carried out with the La Verdiona Agricultural Community, the only neighbour community of the park, with which a project was developed to protect the archaeological heritage of the “Panulcillo II” park. The initiative, inaugurated together with community leaders, highlights the heritage value of the archaeological remains, through informative signage, the development of a pedestrian circuit and rest areas with benches and sustainable trash cans made from the recycling of 1,200 kilograms of plastic.
Juan Pablo Toledo, Country Manager of METLEN LATIN AMERICA (LATAM), stated: “As we celebrate this inauguration, we look to a future full of promise. Doña Antonia is more than a collection of panels; it is a beacon of what we make possible when we come together with a shared vision globally, which METLEN is driving from Greece, Latin America, or Chile. Doña Antonia reminds us that the path to a sustainable world is not a lonely path. It requires the collective effort of governments, businesses, and communities.”
Following the inauguration of Doña Antonia and Willka (109.2 MW) that took place last December, the Tocopilla (227 MW) parks in the María Elena commune and Tamarico (167 MW) in Vallenar will come into operation in 2024. Through these four projects, a total investment of 460 million dollars will be achieved. METLEN will supply Enel Chile, with whom it signed a solar energy purchase agreement (PPA).
