Argentina’s energy secretariat said on Thursday that it has selected 633.7 MW of power projects in the framework of the RenMDI renewables auction, slightly exceeding the targeted capacity.
Launched in early 2023, the RenMDI tender was aimed at gathering proposals for 620 MW of new renewable energy capacity that would help diversify Argentina’s power mix and displace costly thermal generation.
The competition had two categories: group 1 — totalling 500 MW — for biomass energy, solar PV with or without energy storage and wind power with storage, and group 2 for 120 MW of biomass, biogas from organic sources, biogas from landfill sources and small hydro.
The auction closed with 98 projects eligible to win power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Argentine wholesale electricity market administrator CAMMESA.
In the group 1, 46 projects were selected: 44 solar park projects totalling 501.1 MW, one 10-MW wind-plus-storage project and one 3-MW biomass-based power project.
In the group 2, 52 projects with a combined 119.6 MW were deemed eligible: 24 biogas projects totalling 29.9 MW, seven biomass energy proposals totalling 39 MW, two proposals for solid urban waste plants totalling 13.2 MW and 19 small hydroelectric stations for 37.5 MW, the energy secretariat said.
Under the auction terms, projects in the 500-MW group can range between 3 MW and 20 MW and have to be based in designated locations. Projects in the second category can go from 0.5 MW to 20 MW and be located anywhere in Argentina.
According to the official results, the largest winners in the 500-MW category were Energias Renovables Las Lomas SAU and Coral Consultoria en Energia SA, each taking home PPAs for 127 MW and 110 MW of solar capacity, respectively.
360 Energy Solar SA was the only bidder winning contracts for solar with storage projects, and Nuevas Energias Sustentable SRL the only one with a successful wind-plus-storage project.
The list with the winning bids in the category 1 can be seen here: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2023/07/anexo_1._if-2023-78288277-apn-dngemec.pdf
The winning bids in the category 2 are listed here: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2023/07/anexo_2._if-2023-78289795-apn-dngemec.pdf
The winning bidders will sign PPAs with CAMMESA in the coming weeks. The proposed power plants in the group 1 have to reach commercial operation within three years from signing the PPA. Those in the second group have four years, the energy secretariat added.
Source: renewablesnow
