Engie seals loan for Calama wind farm in Chile

Engie Energia Chile has closed a $125 million 12-year DFI-backed loan to finance the construction of the 151.2MW Calama wind farm in Antofagasta, Chile. 

The project, which is estimated to cost $152.9 million, will be financed via a $74 million senior loan from IDB Invest; $15 million financing from the Clean Technology Fund; and $36 million from the Chinese Fund for Co-financing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Pricing 

Engie retired units 12 and 13 of its 439MW coal-fired plant in Tocopilla, Antofagasta, in June, and units 14 and 15 are expected to cease operations by January 2022. The Calama wind farm will replace the output of Tocopilla units 14 and 15. Construction began on the farm at the end of 2019 after Global Energy Services (GES) was awarded the EPC contract. Siemens Gamesa is supplying 36 wind turbines with a capacity of 4.2MW each.