The two 25 MW AC plants will be located in the towns of Lagarto and Tonchigue respectively, in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas. Up to 500 workers are expected to be employed during the construction of the US$150 million project.
CONELEC has already approved the plants technical studies, which include grid impact assessments, risk and environmental analysis and economic feasibility studies. A PPA has now been secured. Under the terms of Ecuadors photovoltaic FIT, the countrys electrical authority will purchase the generated power at a rate of US$0.4003 per KWh.
Atlantic Wind & Solar is said to be currently discussing the development of several other PPAs, the details of which were not released. Atlantic Chairman and CEO Gilles A. Trahan commented, "We believe that South American countries such as Ecuador are some of the best positioned markets in the world to leverage the benefits of large scale photovoltaic solar farms.
"This positioning is not only based on geography, being so close to the equator while offering some of the highest solar irradiance levels in the world, but also due to the region's increased economic status' and rapidly evolving energy demands."
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