Andina-Hornitos power station
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| This article is part of the Global Bioenergy Power Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
Andina-Hornitos power station (Termoeléctrica Andina-Hornitos) is an operating power station of at least 355-megawatts (MW) in Mejillones, Antofagasta Region, Chile. It is also known as Andina power station (Unit 1), Central Termoeléctrica Andina (CTA) (Unit 1), Central Termoeléctrica Hornitos (CTH) (Unit 2), Hornitos power station (Unit 2).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Andina-Hornitos power station | Mejillones, Antofagasta Region, Chile | -23.087707, -70.407472 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1 (Andina), Unit 2 (Hornitos): -23.0877, -70.4075
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal - bituminous | 177 | circulating fluidized bed | 2011 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 1 (Andina) | announced[1] | bioenergy - unknown[1] | 177[1] | – | 2025[2] | – |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - bituminous | 178 | circulating fluidized bed | 2012 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 2 (Hornitos) | announced[1] | bioenergy - unknown[1] | 178[1] | – | 2025[2] | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | ENGIE Energía Chile SA [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 1 (Andina) | Engie Energía Chile SA[1] | Engie Energía Chile SA[1] |
| Unit 2 | ENGIE Energía Chile SA [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 2 (Hornitos) | Engie Energía Chile SA[1] | Engie Energía Chile SA[1] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 1: Announced conversion from coal - bituminous to bioenergy - unknown in 2025.
Unit 2: Announced conversion from coal - bituminous to bioenergy - unknown in 2025.
Background
The two-unit, US$900 million Andina-Hornitos plant, which supplies power primarily to the Esperanza and Gaby mines in Chile's II Region, began operating in 2011-2012.[3][4] The plant is owned by Engie Energía Chile S.A. (formerly E-CL), a subsidiary of Engie (formerly GDF Suez).[5]
In mid-2017, plant owner Engie enlisted Citibank's help in seeking a buyer for the Andina-Hornitos plant, in accordance with the company's move to a more renewable energy portfolio.[6]
In 2021, Engie announced that the power station would convert from a coal- to bioenergy-fired facility in 2025.[7][8][9][10]
Opposition
The plants' proximity to the community of Mejillones has made them highly controversial, prompting fears of rising cancer rates and provoking public protests.[3][11]
Planned conversion from coal to bioenergy
In February 2018 Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced that Chile would phase out coal-fired plants,[12] and Engie announced that it would close its coal-fired plants in Chile, Andina-Hornitos among them.[13] Engie had previously announced that it would try to sell the plants to new operators instead of closing them.[13]
In June 2019, Chilean president Sebastián Piñera released a plan drafted by the Chilean Ministry of Energy detailing the decommissioning schedule for all Chilean coal-fired plants. According to the plan, Andina-Hornitos power station will cease operations no later than 2040, and plant owner Engie agrees to consult with the government every five years to renew details of the plan, subject to management and shareholder approval, Engie's legal obligations to meet environmental targets and supply contracted levels of power, and other criteria.[4][5]
In April 2021, Engie released a company statement confirming that the Andina-Hornitos plant would be converted to run on biomass by 2025.[7][8][9][10] In March 2022, Chile's environmental authority SEA approved the plant's conversion to run 100% on biomass.[14][15] The conversion was expected to cost US $12 million, with transition work beginning in October 2022.[16] Plans called for the power station to adapt its existing port-to-plant conveyor belt system to accommodate biomass instead of coal.[17]
In May 2023, a report from Chile's electricity trade association Generadoras de Chile confirmed that conversion of both the Andina and Hornitos units remained on track for December 2025.[18]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 https://web.archive.org/web/20221126124315/https://www.gem.wiki/Andina-Hornitos_power_station. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 (PDF) https://sea.gob.cl/sites/default/files/adjuntos/noticias/6.%20Reconversi%C3%B3n%20de%20centrales%20termoel%C3%A9ctricas%20a%20carb%C3%B3n.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Las temidas termoeléctricas cancerígenas ya están operando en Mejillones ,", El Diario de Antofagasta, December 1, 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Plan de Descarbonización y Retiro de Centrales Termoeléctricas a Carbón en Chile, Anuncio del gobierno de Sebastián Piñera" (PDF). Chile Sustentable. June 4, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "ENGIE Energía Chile firma acuerdo de retiro de centrales termoeléctricas a carbón con ministerio energía". Engie. 2019-06-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Engie ficha a Citi para vender termoeléctricas en la II Región. Ofertas se presentan en julio,", Pulso, June 23, 2017.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Engie anuncia el desarrollo de cartera de energías renovables por cerca de 2.000 MW y una salida total del carbón para 2025". Engie. April 29, 2021.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Gobierno anuncia el retiro del 50% de las centrales a carbón al 2025". Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (in español). April 28, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Chile speeds up plans to close coal plants, to retire half its fleet by 2025". S&P Global Platts. April 28, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Tras anuncio de Engie de salida total del carbón para 2025, ambientalistas apuntan a Aes Gener y Colbún". El Mostrador. April 28, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Con barricadas protestan contra las termoeléctricas y la contaminación en Mejillones,", El Diario de Antofagasta, December 22, 2011.
- ↑ Chile declares start of coal power phase-out, Climate Change News, Feb. 1, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ahora sí: Trasnacional ENGIE cerraría termoeléctricas Tocopilla, Andina y Hornitos, El Ciudadano, Mar. 29, 2018
- ↑ "Reporte de proyectos en Construcción e Inversión en el Sector Energía mes de marzo de 2022 - Tabla 6. Centrales de generación aprobadas. Mes de marzo de 2022 (p 30)" (PDF). Ministerio de Energía. March 2022.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 49 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Engie: aprobación ambiental: Antofagasta: reconversión". Revista Electricidad. April 6, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Antofagasta: Engie ingresa proyecto a calificación ambiental que busca reemplazar el uso de carbón por biomasa". Electricidad. August 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Engie: aprobación ambiental: Antofagasta: reconversión". Revista Electricidad. April 6, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reconversión de centrales termoeléctricas a carbón (p 5)" (PDF). Generadoras de Chile. May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Bioenergy Power Tracker and the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
