The government of Ecuador plans to concession renewable energy projects for a Capex of 487.4 million US dollars.

The projects will be presented this Thursday and Friday at the Open for Business 2021 summit.

On this, the update of the Electricity Master Plan 2018-2027 establishes the entry into operation, by 2024, of a Block of 500 MW of Non-Conventional Renewable Energies ERNC, with an average annual energy of 2,119.3 GWh/year.

This is to satisfy the demand forecast that takes into account the current trend of growth in electricity demand, energy efficiency projects, the incorporation of singular loads from the electricity distribution companies and the interconnection of the National Interconnected System with the Oil Interconnected Electric System.

Likewise, the connection of each project includes the design, financing, construction, procurement, assembly, administration and sale of electrical energy during the term of the concession contracts.

The Public Selection Process (PPS) aims to concession several non-conventional renewable energy projects until a total power of 500 MW is reached, including small hydroelectric plants, photovoltaic, wind and biomass generators, taking into account the following aspects:

• The global plant factor of the Generation Block.
• The use of different technologies, depending on the available resource, energy production, location of projects, interconnection to the system, etc.
• The energetic generation matrix of the Ecuadorian system.
• Starting from these technical and economic criteria, the capacities of the different technologies that will be proposed to the national and international private sector were determined.

Renewable energy

The PPS will put these capacities to the consideration of private, national and foreign investors, so that they can choose within the alternatives proposed or on their own initiative, the projects that will later be auctioned, according to the rules established in the Bidding Documents that will determine which projects will be concessioned. by the MERNNR.

In this sense, the awarded projects may be located throughout the continental territory of Ecuador, for which their area of ​​influence is national in nature.

The estimated start of operation is from 2024, as established in the 2018-2027 Electricity Master Plan.