Located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, CEME1, the country's largest single photovoltaic (PV) plant, began commercial operation in July 2024. Built by PowerChina, it is a symbol of the cooperation in clean energy between China and Chile, and provides strong support for the realization of Chile's energy transition and carbon neutrality goals.

　　Known as one of the world's driest places, the Atacama Desert's average rainfall is only about 15 mm per year. Due to the high altitude, abundant sunshine and flat terrain, it is suitable for constructing large-scale PV power generation projects.

　　Covering a total area of more than 400 hectares, the CEME1 PV project has an installed capacity of 480 MW, which is expected to supply clean energy to 500,000 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 280,000 tons per year.

　　PowerChina adopted a herringbone layout, an innovative design that not only saves space, but also reduces construction costs. The design increased the concentration of the PV array and reduced the length of the transmission cable, which means less energy loss and higher generating efficiency.

　　Besides, the project also uses robots to clean PV panels automatically. They can sense the dust and dirt on the surface of the PV panel and clean in a dry manner, saving about 90 percent of water consumption compared to traditional methods, improving the environmental protection performance and sustainability of the project.

　　"The inauguration of the CEME1 PV project is another step in the transition of our electricity system away from fossil fuels and towards the decarbonization of our energy matrix," said Diego Pardow, Chile's minister of energy.

　　Calama is the main city near the site of CEME1 and the main source of labor during its construction in Chile. Nearly 1,000 jobs were created for the locals, and a large number of workers were trained to master skills in civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, subsequently enhancing the income of the local residents.

　　The site of CEME1 is also home to wildlife habitats and archaeological sites. The project team hired professional wildlife protection experts and archaeologists, ensuring that local wildlife species and excavated cultural relics were well preserved.

　　In recent years, China has made use of its rich experience in the field of clean energy to deepen cooperation with Chile in energy investment, power transmission and electric vehicles.