Solar To Help Power Mine In Chile

SunEdison, Inc. (NYSE: SUNE), has announced it will supply solar electricity to a copper concentrate and molybdenum mining operation located in the Coquimbo region of Chile.
 
The Los Pelambres mine, owned by Antofagasta Minerals S.A, will be supplied by power from SunEdison’s 69.5 megawatt Javiera solar photovoltaic project under a 20 year contract.
  
The Javiera facility is currently under construction and is expected to be connected to the grid early next year. 
  
“This landmark project reinforces SunEdison’s ability to offer competitive, innovative and sustainable energy solutions to its customers and reaffirms SunEdison’s leading role in Latin America,” said Jose Perez, president of SunEdison for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
  
Los Pelambres general manager Robert Mayne-Nicholls said with the incorporation of the solar electricity in its energy mix, the company will be sourcing 30% of its energy through renewables by next year. Los Pelambres also intends adding run-of-the-river hydro-electricity in the medium term.
  
In other recent SunEdison news, the company announced it had closed on a USD $160 million fund for solar projects in the USA with Barclays and Citi. The portfolio of 40 projects includes a mix of ground-mounted, rooftop and canopy solar power systems with an average size of 1.1 megawatts per project.
   
The company says the fund will accelerate the growth of its commercial and industrial distributed generation portfolio, a segment where SunEdison has a leading market share position in the United States. 
   
Also recently announced was the interconnection of two new California State solar facilities totaling 3.22 megawatts constructed by SunEdison.
   
SunEdison has solar installations, manufacturing plants, and 39 offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The company recently received backing from Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) in the form of $70 million in finance to be used for new Solar PV programs in Australia offering long-term leasing and power purchase agreements (PPAs) for commercial and residential installations.