MPC Energy Solutions (MPCES) has announced the start of operations at its Santa Rosa and Villa Sol solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in El Salvador. These have a combined installed capacity of 21.3 MW. Santa Rosa and Villa Sol are the third and fourth projects in the company’s portfolio to come online, following Los Santos I (Mexico), which was acquired in February 2022, and Neol CHP (Puerto Rico), which began supplying power in January of this year.
45.7 GWh of solar energy produced per year
The factories have started their operations. MPC Energy Solutions is now selling the energy produced through a 20-year, U.S. dollar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with CAESS, the local subsidiary of U.S.-based AES Corporation. Santa Rosa and Villa Sol are located in the Quezaltepeque region of El Salvador and will produce 45.7 GWh of solar energy per year in the first fiscal year, with projected sales of approximately USD 4.4 million. The solar project offers significant environmental benefits, with over 11,000 tons of CO2 emissions avoided per year.
An investment of 24.5 million USD
The total cost of the investments amounted to USD 24.5 million, of which USD 18.3 million was financed by Banco Agrícola, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bancolombia, under an agreement to be amortized over 15 years. Enerland Group was hired as the works and services (W&S) contractor. MPC Energy Solutions provided management services for the work and directly purchased various key components, including Huawei inverters and Canadian Solar modules.
Luis Marquez, head of construction at MPC Energy Solutions, said: “We are delighted that our Santa Rosa and Villa Sol PV plants are being built on time and on budget after financial close, which is a significant achievement for all parties involved! “
“We greatly appreciate the local support we have received during the development and construction phase, the government, local authorities and communities are extremely supportive and dedicated to the projects,” said Fernando Zúñiga, Executive Director for Latin America at MPCEnergy Solutions. “We are committed to further contributing to El Salvador’s transition to a Green Economy and we continue to cautiously consider additional investments in the country.”
With this inauguration of the photovoltaic parks, MPCES has further confirmed its ability to develop, finance, build and operate stand-alone facilities (IPP).