Mainstream submits EIS for US$500mn Chilean wind farm

Ireland's Mainstream Renewable Power has filed an environmental impact study with Chilean regulator SEA for a US$497mn wind park.

The Entre Ríos project in south-central Biobío region will consists of 69 4.5MW wind turbines with capacity of 310.5MW, over a fifth of Chile's total current installed wind power capacity.

The power generated will be sent through 86km of 33kV underground cables to the Munilque and Rapelco substations from where it will go to the existing Duqueco substation via a high voltage transmission line.

Mainstream was awarded seven wind farms totaling nearly 1GW and requiring US$1.6bn in Chile's 2016 public energy auction. The firm also has 300MW of wind projects under development in Chile which it won in the 2015 energy auction, and the 33MW Cuel wind farm in Biobío region which began operations in 2014.

Earlier this month, the company filed an EIS for its US$590mn Caman wind farm in Los Ríos region.