wiredInUSA October 2018

Image: Evo Morales Ayma, Twitter

Power boost for Bolivia

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has officially inaugurated the 60MW Uyuni photovoltaic solar plant. The project, located in the municipality of Uyuni in southern Bolivia, covers a surface area of 105 hectares, with the potential to extend to 180 hectares. The contract for the construction of the plant, worth $62 million, was awarded to a consortium formed by Emias and Elecnor at the beginning of November 2016. The project was tendered by the local state- owned electricity company, Ende, in March 2016. It is the second large-scale solar project carried out under a tender process in Bolivia. Another project, the 50MW Oruro photovoltaic solar plant, was tendered in April 2016, and construction began in August 2018.

America, although hydropower, with an estimated potential of around 7GW, will be the major component. No more solar or other renewable energy projects have been announced. Bolivia has a renewable energy target for 2025 of just 183MW. Currently its energy demand is covered by 2GW of installed power generation capacity, represented by 60 percent thermoelectric energy and 40 percent hydropower. Access to electricity in Bolivia remains among the lowest in Latin America. According to the UN, only 71.5 percent of Bolivia’s population had electricity in 2014. However, the Solon Foundation estimates that Bolivia could exploit a global horizontal irradiation of up to 1,200kWh/ m 2 per year.

The Bolivian government hopes to turn the country into the “energy heart” of South

wiredInUSA - October 2018

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