{"id":60101800,"date":"2025-10-01T12:18:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T11:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60101800"},"modified":"2025-10-06T15:40:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T14:40:46","slug":"uruguay-expands-solar-energy-as-electricity-demand-increases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/uruguay-expands-solar-energy-as-electricity-demand-increases\/","title":{"rendered":"Uruguay expands solar energy as electricity demand increases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With an electricity mix fed by approximately 94% renewable sources, Uruguay is already a decarbonisation pioneer. But while 46% of those sources are hydropower, 27% comes from the wind and 19% is sourced from biofuels, only 2% is provided by solar. To ensure this mix remains as clean as possible in the face of growing electricity demand, the next phase of Uruguay\u2019s energy transition is about to begin: major solar expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Arianna Spinelli, national director of energy at Uruguay\u2019s Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), \u201cmodels have been developed in the country to draw up generation expansion plans that indicate the most suitable sources to be installed. These show future expansions in electricity generation should mainly come from photovoltaic and wind power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/355712040_Innovation_landscape_brief_Regional_markets#pf9\">2019 report<\/a> by the International Renewable Energy Agency described Uruguay\u2019s geographical and temporal characteristics as making solar and wind highly complementary: solar power generation peaks during the day, while wind peaks at night. Spinelli says this is a crucial combination in cementing the resilience of Uruguay\u2019s electricity system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uruguay\u2019s current installed wind power capacity is 1,500 megawatts (MW) and its photovoltaic power capacity is 300 MW. Spinelli says the expansion plan developed by her department envisages the installation of an additional 1,100 MW of solar capacity by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two expansions are already underway, which are set to supply Uruguay\u2019s grid with at least another 100 MW of solar power by 2026: a 25 MW solar plant planned for Punta del Tigre, along San Jos\u00e9\u2019s coast in southern Uruguay, which is scheduled to begin operating from July 2026; and a 75 MW solar park to be developed in the east at Melo in Cerro Largo, operating from October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dialogue Earth spoke to Dar\u00edo Castiglioni, director of the National Administration of State Power Plants and Electrical Transmission (UTE). He says the projects have required a combined investment of USD 91 million, and are in response to solar power becoming an increasingly affordable energy source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-national-sustainability\">National sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Uruguay\u2019s environment minister, Edgardo Ortu\u00f1o, tells Dialogue Earth that the promotion of renewable energy is a \u201cfundamental part\u201d of national sustainable development. He therefore hopes the incorporation of renewables \u201cwill continue to grow\u201d, with the aim of advancing the second energy transition towards decarbonisation by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, Uruguay established a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gub.uy\/ministerio-ambiente\/estrategia-largo-plazo-uruguay\">Long-Term Climate Strategy<\/a> to hit its target of being carbon neutral by 2050. This necessitates an energy transition, the first phase of which centred on creating a renewables-powered electricity matrix. The second phase has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gub.uy\/ministerio-industria-energia-mineria\/sites\/ministerio-industria-energia-mineria\/files\/documentos\/noticias\/Hoja%20de%20ruta%20H2%20Uruguay_final-ingl%C3%A9s.pdf\">three pillars<\/a>: energy efficiency, electromobility and the electrification of demand. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jointsdgfund.org\/article\/uruguays-energy-transition-financing-cleaner-fairer-future\">entails<\/a> decarbonising transport and industry, boosting energy storage, and becoming a regional hub for green hydrogen, meaning hydrogen produced entirely by renewable energy. Uruguay therefore needs more of these sources, and it is looking to solar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"50374197\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe plan to make significant progress in sustainable mobility at the family level and in public transport with electric mobility,\u201d says Ortu\u00f1o, \u201cbut also in road freight, river and air transport, which means advancing in the development of green hydrogen, which also represents a step forward in the expansion of solar energy in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ram\u00f3n M\u00e9ndez is the executive director of the Ivy Foundation, an NGO dedicated to the energy transition, and president of REN21, a renewable energy advocacy network. He tells Dialogue Earth that Uruguay\u2019s first energy transition was initially driven by climate change and environmental concerns. Today, however, it is driven by economics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRenewables are the cheapest sources and also make you independent of fluctuations in fossil fuel prices,\u201d he says. \u201cElectricity produced with photovoltaic panels is cheaper than that produced with wind turbines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-projects-underway\">Projects underway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Punta del Tigre project was awarded to a consortium comprised of the Spanish company Prodiel Energy and Uruguay\u2019s Teyma in October 2024, serving as a pilot to evaluate foreign participation in Uruguayan solar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same consortium was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambito.com\/uruguay\/ute-adjudico-la-construccion-un-parque-solar-cerro-largo-que-demandara-una-inversion-us-70-millones-n6189961\">announced<\/a> as the operator of the larger, 138,000-panel Cerro Largo project earlier this month, after being selected by the government over eight other proposals. The Melo station attracted two other foreign bidders: Peru\u2019s ABCD Trading, and the Power Construction Corporation of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the academic Rodrigo Alonso, who co-directs both the Uruguayan Renewable Energy Association (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.auder.org.uy\/\">AUdER<\/a>) and the Solar Energy Laboratory (<a href=\"http:\/\/les.edu.uy\/\">LES<\/a>) at Montevideo\u2019s University of the Republic, China\u2019s interest in the Uruguayan solar market is purely commercial: \u201cFor cost reasons, practically everything that is installed in Uruguay comes from China. It dominates the solar market by several orders of magnitude, both in manufacturing production and in its own installations worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250930_Photovoltaic-device-installed-in-Tala-Uruguay_Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250930_Photovoltaic-device-installed-in-Tala-Uruguay_Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay-768x452.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250930_Photovoltaic-device-installed-in-Tala-Uruguay_Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay-1024x603.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250930_Photovoltaic-device-installed-in-Tala-Uruguay_Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay.jpg 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 2000px\" alt=\"A bare tree stands beside a solar panel array in a green field\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">Photovoltaic device installed in Tala, department of Canelones. The Uruguayan government plans to add 1,100 MW of solar capacity by 2040 (Image: Presidencia de la Rep\u00fablica Oriental del Uruguay)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250930_Photovoltaic-device-installed-in-Tala-Uruguay_Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"822 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1177\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"2000\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Alonso confirms Punta del Tigre and Cerro Largo will both use Chinese solar panels. Some Chinese companies are also involved in works related to Uruguay\u2019s electricity transmission systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as cheaper parts, M\u00e9ndez says Chinese entities provide financing at very favourable rates, which makes the final electricity price more affordable for consumers. He adds that the solar panel arrangement has been generally popular because the installation, civil works and subsequent electricity supply have all remained in the hands of the state, to the benefit of Uruguay\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Castiglioni says overseas involvement in such projects is common, because UTE cannot provide the requisite scale of investment alone. Considering China\u2019s leading role in the development of green technologies, Castiglioni adds, its investments are viewed positively, and \u201calthough Uruguay may be a very small market for China, the country is like a gateway to the region\u201d \u2013 if this relationship proves fruitful, other Latin American countries are more likely to continue working with China on green development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-environmental-impacts\">Environmental impacts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The installation of these solar parks could have various environmental impacts on the surrounding areas. For example, says M\u00e9ndez, they occupy a lot of land \u2013 especially in comparison to wind farms. On the other hand, Spinelli says \u201cthe currently installed capacity occupies 0.0033% of Uruguay\u2019s area. Therefore, even if the installed capacity is multiplied several times over, these are not significant areas for a country with a low population density.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for wind farms, M\u00e9ndez acknowledges that the turbines have a greater visual impact on the landscape, generate noise and cause strobing as they rotate, and pose a risk to migratory bird corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But both experts agree these drawbacks are infinitely smaller than those generated by other types of technology, such as fossil fuels. When it comes to new solar parks, M\u00e9ndez says \u201cin general, the receptivity of the neighbours has been very positive\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-increased-demand\">Increased demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The outlook for electricity demand in Uruguay for the next decade is significant growth. In addition to a historic annual growth rate of 2%, sectors such as electromobility, the incipient development of green hydrogen, and the installation of new data centres are increasingly driving local electricity consumption and making it crucial to find new generation alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Noelia Medina, deputy secretary and coordinator of the World Energy Council\u2019s Future Energy Leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldenergy.org\/world-energy-community\/future-energy-leaders\">programme<\/a>, and an economist who specialises in finance, energy economics and regulation, there are already signs that large-scale projects related to these sectors will appear in Uruguay \u2013 and these could make heavy demands on Uruguay\u2019s electricity grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spinelli says that in 2024, the electricity demand of the country\u2019s grid, the National Interconnected System, amounted to 12.2 terawatt-hours. This does not include demand from data centres or hydrogen derivative projects, which could amount to cumulative installations of 1 gigawatt of photovoltaic power by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gaucho-men-in-front-of-a-solar-panel-in-Tacuarembo_Secretaria-de-Comunicacion-de-Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay_Flickr_d4a6bb1904.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gaucho-men-in-front-of-a-solar-panel-in-Tacuarembo_Secretaria-de-Comunicacion-de-Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay_Flickr_d4a6bb1904-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gaucho-men-in-front-of-a-solar-panel-in-Tacuarembo_Secretaria-de-Comunicacion-de-Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay_Flickr_d4a6bb1904-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gaucho-men-in-front-of-a-solar-panel-in-Tacuarembo_Secretaria-de-Comunicacion-de-Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay_Flickr_d4a6bb1904.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 2048px\" alt=\"a group of men stand in front of a solar panel\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">Gaucho men in front of a solar panel in Tacuaremb\u00f3, northern Uruguay. Alternative renewable sources are helping with the country&#8217;s energy integration (Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/muY2Pe\">Secretar\u00eda de Comunicaci\u00f3n de Presidencia de la Rep\u00fablica Oriental del Uruguay<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/flickr.com\/people\/presidenciauy\">Flickr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/2.0\/deed.pt-br\">CC BY NC ND<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gaucho-men-in-front-of-a-solar-panel-in-Tacuarembo_Secretaria-de-Comunicacion-de-Presidencia-de-la-Republica-Oriental-del-Uruguay_Flickr_d4a6bb1904.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"844 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1366\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"2048\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>These projections are also reflected in the MIEM\u2019s 2024-2043 Electricity Generation Expansion Plan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gub.uy\/ministerio-industria-energia-mineria\/comunicacion\/publicaciones\/plan-expansion-generacion-2024-2043\">published<\/a> in March. Among its main points, the plan anticipates national demand reaching 14 terawatt-hours per year from 2035 onwards. It says maintaining adequate supply will require installing, by 2043, approximately 2,100-2,420 MW of new wind energy capacity and 1,130-1,375 MW of solar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spinelli says Uruguay\u2019s grid is well equipped to absorb this extra wind and solar capacity, adding that work on transmission systems has been planned and much has already started. \u201cIt should not be a problem to connect wind and photovoltaic generation in the coming years,\u201d he says. Castiglioni confirms that UTE has made a \u201cvery strong\u201d investment in energy distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-international-financing-and-exports\">International financing and exports<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because domestic options can be limited, Castiglioni says the search for international financing \u201cis always on the agenda\u201d \u2013 from, for example, organisations such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Inter-American Development Bank. Spinelli confirms that the MIEM, as well as other government actors, are \u201cattentive to climate financing opportunities\u201d, with international cooperation projects already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>M\u00e9ndez, himself a former member of GCF\u2019s board of directors, says such projects are of interest to the fund, but clarifies that it usually works on a \u201cmuch larger\u201d scale. He says there are still \u201cmultiple options for Uruguay to obtain cheap financing\u201d, probably through a combination of equity financing and loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for how these projects could contribute to regional energy integration and exports, Spinelli says Uruguay is \u201calready working at the regional level to promote greater energy integration and to better manage the availability of low-cost electricity,\u201d which neighbouring countries will have as they move towards an increasingly renewable electricity matrix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn 2022, energy exports reached almost USD 400 million, close to 1% of GDP, so it is clear that energy is now a non-traditional export product for Uruguay,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The country already has a 94% renewable electricity mix, but plans to diversify by adding more than 100MW of solar by 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40000278,"featured_media":60101808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[757],"tags":[17073,585,593],"hashtags":[],"country":[50002602],"class_list":["post-60101800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-energy-transition","tag-renewables","tag-solar","country-uruguay"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Uruguay expands solar energy as electricity demand increases | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The country already has a 94% renewable electricity mix, but plans to diversify by adding more than 100MW of solar by 2026\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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