The sun and lithium are closely watching the international appointment of renewable energies

"We consider renewable energies as a national policy, because we know that our solar radiation is one of the best in the world.Cauchari is a case studied around the world: a solar power plant stands at 4,200 meters above sea level. 39, altitude ", he stressed Mario PizarroProvincial Secretary for Energy.

The official pointed out that new projects "Reactivate the productive matrix" and advanced the inauguration of a dozen solar villages and the project to provide the city of La Quiaca a power plant combining gas and photovoltaic technologies. "We are prioritizing and we can not go back on the path of non-pollution and policies to stop climate change"he concluded.

The biggest challenge, for which there is a principle of agreement for Chinese funding, will be increase Cachauri's production capacity from 300 MW to 500 MW, enough to power about 250,000 homes. In a second step, other facilities will be built which would bring 96 Mw which would not be injected into the national network and would be consumed exclusively at the local level. Whatever the case may be, about 60% of the initial plan still needs to be completed.

Lithium, the other attraction

The other point of interest for specialists and investors is the possibility that the region is consolidating a major supplier of high quality lithium carbonate for global markets. The objective seems obvious: jujeños soils concentrate 36% of the resources of this existing mineral in our country. One of the actors, with Salta and Catamarca, of what is called the "lithium triangle". The demand for a vital element for modern industry, especially for the batteries of billions of cell phones, weighed on production: it went from 979 tons in 2015 to nearly 12,500 tons in 2018 .

The owner of JEMSE (State Company of Jujuy Energy and Mines), Carlos Oehler, recalled that in 2011 already, lithium was declared "Strategic Material". At the conference, they overflowed with several possible projects in badociation with foreign investors. Oehler mentioned two that would be perfectly directed: the opportunity to manufacture batteries in partnership with Italian capital and a project supported by the European Investment Bank to generate and accumulate energy from photovoltaic sources and gas.

It also emerged that the winning bidder for the 35,000 hectares of potential lithium production at Salinas Grandes, Laguna de Guayatayoc and Salar de Jama would be announced shortly, which was launched in January.

The renewable energy landscape in the country offers lights and shadows. Since the beginning of the RenovAr program, they have come into commercial operation more than 20 renewable energy projects in 10 provinces, for more than 590 MW of installed capacity. Most of them pbad by wind and solar farms. But if the sector was somehow "shielded" to cope with the economic uncertainties, the prolongation of the crisis in recent months has highlighted some difficulties for the financing of projects. From this he will also speak here during these hours.