Chile's National Energy Commission (CNE) says it is feasible to connect up to 2.2 GW of solar plants to the national grid over the next 15 years, in a newly published plan for the expansion of the national transmission system.

Chile is preparing for a 1.5 GWboost to its solar generating network over the next 15 years.
The 125-page report estimates the cost of investing in photovoltaic energy development in Chile amounts to US$2,500 per kW, equal to the price of building coal generation plants in the northern electricity transmission system (SING) and slightly more expensive than building coal plants ($2,350/kW) in the central electricity system(SIC).

The new report lists 13 solar plants with a combined capacity of 1.5 GWthat are expected to come online on SING up to 2028.

According to the plan, the 100 MW-scale Sol De Lua and Crucero 1 plants are due to come online next year, by the 50 MWArica 1 and 100 MWCrucero 2 in 2015.

In 2016, the 50 MWArica 2 and 100 MWPozo Almonte 1 will start production, by the 100 MW-sized Crucero 3 and Laguna 2 in 2018 and the similarly sized Pozo Almonte 2 in 2019.

Three more 200 MW photovoltaic plants are scheduled to come online: Solar Sing 1 and Solar Sing 2 in 2026 and Solar Sing 3 two years later.

Eight more plants totaling 700 MWare slated for development on the SIC network, including the 100 MW Sol de Almagro 1, Inca de Oro 1 and Carrera Pinto 1 (in 2018) and the 50 MW Sol de Vallenar 1 (in 2018 or 2019). The remaining four plants – the 100 MWSol de Almagro 1, Inca de Oro 2 and Carrera Pinto 2 and the 50 MWSol de Vallenar 2 - will be developed in the next decade up to 2027.