Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) has approved the environmental impact statement for the Sidon Solar photovoltaic project, which will include 158.17 MWdc of solar generation and 1,296 MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity.
Sidon Solar SpA, established by Trina Solar Systems (Chile) SpA in July 2023, will develop the project across the municipalities of Cabrero in the Biobío region and Pemuco in the Ñuble region.
The approved configuration comprises 218,160 solar modules rated at 725 W, installed on 4,040 single-axis trackers. The panels will cover two areas totaling 185.44 hectares and will be supported by 18 transformer stations.
The project’s DC capacity is lower than the 162.55 MWdc included in the configuration submitted for environmental assessment in 2025. That version specified 150 MWac of generation, which also appears as the project’s net capacity in a June 2025 project report from Chile’s Ministry of Energy.
Sidon Solar will also include 324 Huawei Luna2000 battery units across a 30,967-square-meter site. The environmental approval sets total storage capacity at 1,296 MWh, with an injection capacity of 150 MW for five hours. The batteries will shift part of the solar generation for injection into Chile’s National Electricity System (SEN) after dark.
Electricity will be evacuated from the project substation through a 220 kV transmission line to the Entre Ríos substation, which is already connected to the SEN. The 5.7 km line will have a single circuit and a nominal capacity of 170 MVA. Construction of the transmission infrastructure is expected to take 17 months.
The project will occupy 275.31 hectares, including the solar plant and transmission line. The declared investment is $100 million, while the project is expected to operate for 33 years.
Construction is scheduled to take 24 months and is expected to employ an average of 350 workers, with a peak workforce of 600. The operational phase is expected to require 12 workers for maintenance.
Sidon Solar has also committed to promoting the hiring of workers from Cabrero and Pemuco through the municipalities’ employment offices.
From pv magazine LatAm
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