| Work Detail |
Nine companies, seven of them local, submitted bids to execute the project, which will be the third under the ownership of the state-owned electricity company. Uruguays National Administration of Power Plants and Electric Transmissions (UTE) has launched an international bidding process for the construction of a 75 MW photovoltaic solar farm in the department of Cerro Largo. This will be the third photovoltaic generation project directly owned by the state-owned company. The solar park will consist of approximately 138,000 modules, with estimated unit power outputs between 650 and 750 W. The proposed location is near the Melo converter station, which will facilitate its integration into the national grid. The project budget is between $80 and $90 million, according to previous official estimates. Nine companies responded to the call: seven local—Tecnosud, Prodie, Diesel Motors Company, Teyma Uruguay, Impacto Construcciones, Ingener, and Ventus Ingeniería—and two foreign companies: the Peruvian ABCD Trading International SAC and the Chinese state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China. The maximum period stipulated for completion of the works is 730 calendar days after the signing of the contract. As announced in January of this year, when the projects submission for environmental assessment was announced , its entry into operation is estimated to be between March and June 2028. UTE currently operates three photovoltaic parks of its own: one in Salto, with a capacity of 500 kW; another in Talas del Maciel, with a capacity of 1 MW; and the Punta del Tigre park, with a capacity of 30 MWp , inaugurated in November 2024 in the department of San José. In addition, the company maintains long-term power purchase agreements with private generators, which contribute more than 240 MW to the national electricity system. In 2023, UTE announced a $100 million investment in new solar parks , which will be implemented between 2025 and 2027. In the Cerro Largo region, solar energy sources are reported to offer average irradiation levels close to 5 kWh/m² per day, which is considered favorable for this type of installation. By way of comparison, the World Banks Global Solar Energy Atlas identifies this area as one of the most suitable within Uruguay for large-scale photovoltaic generation. The technical specifications establish a minimum useful life of 30 years for the equipment, which entails specific requirements in terms of design, components, and long-term operational guarantees. Furthermore, provisions are included regarding maintenance, monitoring, and quality standards that aim to ensure continuity of supply throughout the life of the park. Once the project is awarded, UTE plans to coordinate the execution of the works with its network expansion and infrastructure reinforcement plans in the north of the country, with the goal of optimizing the utilization of installed capacity. |
