500,000 bifacial panels
YPF Luz is preparing to bring El Quemado to its maximum capacity, making it one of the most important solar projects in Cuyo.
The park is in the final stage of construction, with 90% of the work completed. This is the company's seventh renewable energy development, which will allow it to reach an installed renewable capacity of 1 GW once construction is finished.
It will be the first renewable energy project framed within the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI, as it is known in Argentina) to become operational in 2026.
Construction progress and current status
Of the 305 MW of total installed capacity it will have, El Quemado already operates 200 MW, injecting the generated electricity into the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI, for its initials in Spanish) for large users and industrial clients.
Recently, the installation of 100% of the park's main equipment was completed , a key milestone that includes more than 500,000 solar panels. The remaining tasks focus on wiring the modules, inverters, and transformer substations.
Next steps: energization and commercial activation
The final project timeline anticipates that the following steps will be completed during April and May:
- Energizing the third transformer, to complete the construction phase.
- Move towards commercial authorization by CAMMESA, and subsequent start-up.
This will allow El Quemado to operate at its maximum installed capacity , providing renewable, reliable and efficient energy from Mendoza to the country's industries.
Large-scale milestones
The project was commissioned to Solar DQD, which recently completed the installation of the photovoltaic modules , connected in series and distributed among 5,880 solar trackers, linked to 1,170 inverters. They also completed the installation of more than 3,400 kilometers of solar cable.
Javier Ortiz, Operations and Production Leader at Solar DQD, commented: “Beyond the 360 MWp of Argentina’s largest solar park, what truly drives every advance is the team. Being involved in the daily operations allowed me to confirm something key: that success is human, when coordination, commitment, dedication, respect, and camaraderie between engineering, supervision, and on-site personnel set the pace, and technical efficiency comes naturally.”
"On a personal level , surpassing 1,000 MW of operational experience is a source of immense pride. Thanks to Solar DQD and everyone involved for their trust and commitment to working together," he concluded.
In 15 months of execution, Solar DQD achieved large-scale milestones at the El Quemado solar park:
- Connectivity: +3,700 km of cables
- Infrastructure: +90,000 piles, +5,800 trackers and +500,000 solar panels
- Control: +1,170 inverters, 40 CTs, 40 NCUs and 6 weather stations
