en.Wedoany.com Reported - Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) has approved the Environmental Impact Statement for the "200 MW photovoltaic power plant and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – Cotahuasi I" project submitted by GR Guanaco, a subsidiary of Spain's Grenergy Renovables. The approval was formalized through Director's Resolution No. 0150-2026-MINEM/DGAAE, issued on June 30, 2026.

Located in the La Joya district of the Arequipa region, the project has a planned installed capacity of 200 MW and includes a battery energy storage system. According to documents released by Minem, the environmental file corresponds to an Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) submitted on May 4 of this year, with the applicant being GR Guanaco. Based on the project's technical information, Cotahuasi I is expected to require an investment of USD 130.6 million, with a construction period of 24 months and an operational lifespan of 30 years, covering an area of approximately 468 hectares.

The plant plans to install 415,520 bifacial photovoltaic modules of 615 Wp each, along with an energy storage system with a nominal capacity of 144 MWh. The BESS consists of 33 lithium-ion battery containers arranged in 11 series-connected groups, each containing 3 containers, and is equipped with 22 inverters and 11 transformer centers. The project's power evacuation plan includes a 33/220 kV step-up substation and a 220 kV transmission line approximately 2 km long, used to connect the new facility to the existing Hub San José substation.

Cotahuasi I complements Grenergy's other solar projects in Peru. These include the Ubinas photovoltaic and storage plant in Moquegua, for which its subsidiary GR Mitoconga obtained approval in March for the scope of work to prepare a detailed EIA; and another 200 MW photovoltaic project, Locumba, in Tacna, for which its subsidiary GR Liblanca has received DIA approval and a pre-operational study report. Additionally, Grenergy's previously developed 97 MW Matarani solar project in Arequipa, Peru, was sold to Yinson Renewables in 2024. That project had previously signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Enel Generación Perú for a total of 2.7 TWh of electricity.