| Work Detail |
The renewable energy company owned by the British fund Actis Atlas Renewable Energy has shared that 95 women from the Antofagasta Region are participating in the development of the Sol del Desierto photovoltaic project (230 MW). This equates to 14% of the currently hired workforce.
Among the positions held by women, those of Quality, Health and Safety, and Environment supervisors stand out. In addition to this, a large part of the female staff hired has been dedicated to technical tasks, such as module assembly, permit management, logistics coordination, administration, operation of machinery, risk prevention, mechanical and electrical assistance, as well as security.
Atlas Renewable Energy explains that, in just four years since its founding, it has managed to bring female representation from 11% to 40% at the regional level within its offices in Latin America. Now it is proposed to promote the hiring of women in the projects it develops not only in Chile, but in all jurisdictions where it operates.
For this, the Environment, Social Responsibility and Governance (ESG) team of the company launched in early 2020 the social initiative “We are part of the same energy”, a program aimed at training in technical skills to women neighboring the projects to encourage the local female workforce to access new and better employment opportunities, not only in the projects developed by Atlas, but also in others that are installed in the area.
The development of this program has been carried out in several countries and in Chile it was carried out last September in the María Elena commune with the participation of the Latin America Fundes Organization, in coordination with the María Elena Municipality and the INSECAP training company. . The course benefited a total of 70 residents of the commune, who were given skills and technical tools in mounting photovoltaic panels and basic electricity, as well as soft skills, through a female empowerment course taught by a psychologist .
To date, 16 of the 95 women who work in the construction of the plant have been part of this technical training and have been integrated into the construction of Sol del Desierto by the contracting companies Telcoh, Álvarez y Compañía, and Seyses. Atlas expects that more graduates will join the project and other solar parks that are being developed in the area in the coming months. This type of training will continue to promote the inclusion of women in the workforce, promoting a more inclusive and diverse energy industry on gender issues.
The Manager of Environment, Social Responsibility and Governance of Atlas in Chile, Javier Palacios, indicated that, in March, an increase in the hiring curve for female labor is expected. |
