Recently, the Chilean Cerro Dominador Group has successfully acquired the development rights of the Likana CSP project from SolarReserve. The deal amount remains confidential.
It is reported that the Likana CSP project has a total installed capacity of 450MW, with an investment of USD 2.4 billion and a net power generation of approximately 3,150 GWh/year. The project is located in Llano de Quimal, 41 km southeast of Calama in the Antofagasta region, which has been environmentally approved and is eligible for construction. However, an insider of the Cerro Dominador Group revealed that the project may start construction in the first half of 2020.
The Likana project will consist of three tower CSP plants, LIK 1, LIK 2 and LIK 3. Each plant may also be equipped with a substation.
The Cerro Dominador plant is the first CSP project in Latin America, covering an area of over 700 hectares. With up to 17.5 hours of molten salt storage capacity, the plant can provide power 24 hours a day. It is scheduled to deliver power to the grid in May next year and is expected to begin commissioning by the end of this year.
The project is owned by funds managed by EIG Global Energy Partners. Currently, the fund-owned developer and Cerro Dominador partners is studying larger projects at three other sites in northern Chile.
