Bloomberg reported that Solarpack Corporation won a contract to supply energy to the Collahuasi copper mine in northern Chile as the nation seeks to boost its use of renewable energy.

Solarpack based in Getxo, Spain will provide 60,000 MWH a year from two solar plants starting in the Q4 of 2013, Compania Minera Dona Ines de Collahuasi, the mine’s operating company.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, under Chilean law, 5% of all electricity must come from renewable sources. That will rise to 10% in 2024. Solarpack will begin building the plants at the end of the year in the Tarapaca region.

The mining company solicited bids for the power contract in mid 2011 and received 10 proposals. The company is owned by Anglo American Plc, Xstrata Plc and a group of Japanese companies.

Solarpack was awarded a contract in November 2010 to build 1 MW solar plant for the state run mining company Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile’s facilities at Chuquicamata.

Source - Bloomberg.net

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