The Horizonte wind farm located in Chile’s Antofagasta region, will have an initial capacity of 816MW.
It is on the track to become the largest wind farm in Chile and the second largest in Central America.
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Colbun, a sustainable, secure, and competitive energy solutions provider, is the owner and developer of the project. The project involves an estimated investment of approximately $900m.
The construction of the Horizonte wind power project commenced in 2021.
The project achieved a significant construction milestone in June 2024, with the completion and installation of 81 out of the planned 140 wind turbines.
The commissioning plan for the wind farm includes an initial stage of energisation of 70 wind turbines in the northern area of the project.
The energisation of the park’s southern area, comprising another 70 wind turbines, began in June 2024, alongside the commissioning of a high-voltage line and substation.
Project location
The Horizonte wind power project lies 130km north-east of Taltal and 80km east of Paposo town in the Antofagasta region of Chile.
Horizonte wind farm details
The first phase of the Horizonte wind farm incorporates 140 units of E-160 EP5 wind turbines, having a capacity of 5.83MW each.
The EP5 turbines feature a low-maintenance ENERCON direct E-160 drive, bolstered by powerful inverter and permanent magnet generator technology.
With a rotor diameter of 160m, the turbines are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and operate at wind speeds of up to 28 metres per second.
The turbines feature an efficient E-nacelle design, which amalgamates complex requirements from production, logistics, and installation into a single-levelised cost of energy optimised design.
The wind farm is projected to reduce up to 1.2 million tonnes (t) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions annually, significantly contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and enhancing the country’s energy sustainability.
The first wind turbines were energised through the Parinas substation in May 2024, which enabled electricity to be fed into the National Electric System.
Horizonte wind farm expansion
Colbun submitted an environmental impact assessment to extend the wind farm’s capacity from 816MW to 996MW in March 2024.
The expansion includes the installation of up to 24 new wind turbines, each with a maximum nominal power of 7.5MW.
It will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 130,000 homes.
The construction of the expansion project is anticipated to begin in the second half (H2) of 2025 with an estimated investment of approximately $200m.
The expansion will utilise the temporary infrastructure from the original wind farm.
The expansion is expected to create up to 400 jobs, with construction work expected to last approximately 18 months.
The new facilities will further contribute to offsetting up to 99,220t of CO₂ emissions a year.
Contractors involved
Madeco, the cable wire manufacturing wing of Nexans, supplied 840km length of electrical conductors, primarily aluminium medium voltage cables, to meet the project’s specific needs.
Engineering and construction company, Sigdo Koppers was awarded the engineering procurement and construction and balance of plant contract for the project.
The scope of work involves the engineering development, supply, and construction of two new substations.
It also involves expanding an existing substation, a 25km long, 2×220kV transmission line and the supply and assembly of the medium voltage network.
Hitachi Energy, a sustainable energy solutions provider, was subcontracted by SKIC to connect the wind farm to the grid.
Enercon, a wind turbine manufacturer based in Germany, was selected to supply its advanced E-160 EP5 platform wind turbines for the project.
FairWind, a wind turbine services provider, was appointed as the installation partner for the Horizonte wind power project in December 2022.
Project benefits
The Horizonte wind farm marks a significant step forward for Chile in reaching its goal of sourcing 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The project is poised to enhance regional wind power generation capacity by 70%.
The project is estimated to generate around 2,400GWh of energy annually, equivalent to the consumption of more than 700,000 homes.
