Two new run of river hydropower plants are now fully operational in Peru, owner Polaris Infrastructure Inc has announced.
The company said that the 20MW 8 de Agosto and 8MW El Carmen projects – Located in the Huanuco region of Peru – have both achieved their respective Commercial Operation Dates (COD) and received official extensions of their Power Purchase Agreements.
Polaris acquired both plants, along with other assets, back in October 2018, and immediately set about completing their construction. In a statement, it said that
successful management of the Company’s construction and engineering partners, coupled with effective cooperation from the various Peruvian government administrative bodies allowed it to deliver on this significant achievement.
Both projects are now delivering electricity and are connected to the national grid through a 60km transmission line owned by Polaris Infrastructure.
El Carmen’s commercial operation was achieved on November 30th, 2019 and 8 de Agosto achieved commercial operation on December 25th, 2019.
As the PPAs for both projects stipulate required CODs of October 28th, 2019, formal extensions were required from the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) for them to remain valid. Polaris Infrastructure has now received the formal extensions from MINEM with extension dates in the first quarter of 2020 for both 8 de Agosto and El Carmen.