Image: EagLau, Wikimedia Commons
Canada-based Aisa Group has announced plans to invest $600 million to build a 1-gigawatt (GW) solar power plant in San Juan province, northern Argentina. This would become the country's largest planned photovoltaic project to date. The project has formally applied for Argentina's Large Investment Incentive Regime (Régimen de Incentivo para Grandes Inversiones - RIGI).
The RIGI incentive program is specifically designed for major investment projects, offering accelerated approvals and significantly lowering entry barriers for large-scale initiatives. If approved, the project would benefit from 30-year tax, customs, and foreign exchange incentives.
According to the plan, the project will be implemented in phases:
- Phase 1: Construct a 50-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic facility at the Gualcamayo mining site to exclusively supply power for mining operations.
- Subsequent Phases: Expand the capacity and build a 500-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage transmission line to connect to the National Interconnected Grid System (SADI), enabling nationwide electricity dispatch.
This initiative marks Argentina's entry into a new phase of industrial-scale solar development. For the first time, a foreign-backed project moves beyond "simple power generation" to adopt a "dual-mode" approach: simultaneously supplying direct clean power to energy-intensive industries and feeding surplus electricity into the national grid.
Argentina's solar industry is currently undergoing a significant scaling-up phase:
- The country's largest operational solar plant, the 300MW Cauchari project, is now undergoing expansion to reach 500MW.
- Aisa Group is concurrently advancing another 22MW solar project (planned for expansion to 51MW) in San Luis Province.
Argentina's current total installed solar photovoltaic capacity stands at approximately 1.1 GW, notably lagging behind neighboring Chile (7.7 GW) and Brazil (24 GW). Industry analysts point to three key drivers transforming Argentina into a regional clean energy center:
- Resource Development: Exploitation of high solar irradiance resources in the northern regions.
- Grid Modernization: Upgrades to the backbone transmission network.
- Foreign Investment: Sustained influx of foreign capital.
