The $220 million project has a capacity of 305 MW and is located in the province of Mendoza, in the sunny Cuyo region.
The Province of Mendoza has inaugurated the El Quemado Solar Park, located in the department of Las Heras, in the province of Mendoza, in the sunny Cuyo region.
With an installed capacity of 305 MW, the plant is now the second largest photovoltaic power plant in Argentina, after the 315 MW Cauchari complex.
Originally developed by provincial utility Empresa Mendocina de Energía Sociedad Anónima (Emesa), the $220 million project was subsequently acquired and built by YPF Luz. The first 100 MW unit became commercially operational in December last year.
The opening ceremony was attended by Governor Alfredo Cornejo, YPF President and CEO Horacio Marín, and Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni. Officials highlighted that El Quemado is the first renewable energy project approved under Argentina’s Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI), aimed at attracting investments through tax, customs and exchange rate incentives.
The factory covers approximately 620 hectares and includes more than 511,000 bifacial solar panels, 5,800 trackers, 1,170 inverters and 40 transformer stations. It has an estimated capacity factor of 31.4%. According to official estimates, annual generation will be sufficient to meet housing demand in the city of Mendoza, as well as in the departments of Las Heras and Lavalle.
The grid connection works include a new transformer station linked to the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI), as well as a substation equipped with GIS technology and an outgoing feeder for three 220 kV/33 kV transformers. The project also included 180 km of fiber optic cabling for control and security systems.
Construction took 18 months and peaked at over 350 employees, with 87% of the workforce sourced locally. Major technology suppliers included JinkoSolar, Arctech Solar and Huawei.
Now that El Quemado is online, Mendoza exceeds 700 MW of installed solar capacity and is on its way to a provincial pipeline expected to exceed 1 GW. Upcoming developments include the Anchoris and San Rafael projects, each with a capacity of 180 MW.
Various power purchase agreements (PPAs) have now been concluded. In December last year, YPF Luz signed an agreement with Molinos Río de la Plata to extend its sustainable supply contract until 2030, which would increase the company’s clean energy share to 80%, with the potential to reach 100% in the future. The agreement builds on a previous contract signed in September 2023 that included the 100 MW Zonda Solar Park in San Juan, and now includes El Quemado generation.
In March this year, YPF Luz signed a three-year agreement with Skyonline, an Argentinian technology company specialized in digital infrastructure, to supply approximately 7,200 MWh annually. The contract will cover 85% of the electricity demand of Skyonline’s data center in central Buenos Aires, supplied through generation by El Quemado and the General Levalle Solar Park in Córdoba.
In April, YPF Luz also announced an agreement with Molinos Basile, covering 50% of the company’s electricity demand, equivalent to approximately 2,200 MWh per year.
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