Solar Millenium's subsidiary Milenio Solar has been awarded the right to perform a fesibility study in El Salvador. The study is to determine whether a parabolic trough solar power plant can be developed in cooperation with Inversiones Energéticas (in majority ownership by Salvadoran public utility Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa).

The scope of the study will be covering, among other things, a proposal for a solar thermal power plant configuration, as well give a recommendation for a power off-take concept and layout a public-private investment infrastructure. Additionally, Milenio Solar will set up and maintain metorological stations for acquiring weather and insolation data at three considered sites in El Salvador.

Apart from being a great opportunity for the Spanish company to enter the Latin American markt for solar power, the project represents a significant step forward in the implementation of El Salvador's renewable energy strategy whereby the country is broadening its energy portfolio to include more renewable energy sources and lessen its dependency on energy import and also to reduce the country's carbon footprint. El Salvador has mainly seen hydropower development as far RE technologies are concerned, although there had been some activities involving wind energy, and more recently solar energy.

[source: Solar Millenium]