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This is the Paposo Pumping Central project, located in the Antofagasta region, which proposes a closed circuit for recirculating desalinated water, with a projected investment of close to 1.4 billion dollars.
The Chilean energy company Colbún has announced that the Central de Bombeo Paposo energy storage project, with an estimated power of up to 800 MW, located in Paposo, Taltal commune, in the Antofagasta region, has entered the Environmental Assessment System (SEIA) .
According to a company statement, the project, which involves an estimated investment of close to 1.4 billion dollars, is “the first electricity generation initiative in Chile and Latin America based on a closed circuit of recirculation of desalinated water, which will allow "Almost half a million homes have access to clean and sustainable energy, mainly during times of greatest demand."
Colbún assures that on Friday of this week the admissibility of the project by the SEIA should be known.
According to the energy company, the plant will generate approximately 1,800 GWh per year.
The description of the project points out that “it includes two reservoirs or reservoirs: an upper one, which will be located 1,500 meters above sea level, located on the coastal cliff taking advantage of the natural morphology of the terrain; and a lower reservoir at the foot of the cliff which includes a machine house, where the generation turbines will be housed.”
“During the afternoon, night and early morning - he continues -, the water will descend from the upper reservoir to the lower one, generating energy that will be injected into the system; During the day the project will take energy from the system to raise water from the lower reservoir to the upper one.”
The Paposo Pumping Central project has a desalination plant with a maximum production capacity of 90 liters per second during construction (for filling the reservoir), and then 30 liters per second during operation to compensate for water losses due to evaporation and internal consumption.
The start of construction is projected for mid-2026 and its commissioning for the second half of 2029. |
