Nueva Tocopilla power station
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Nueva Tocopilla power station (Termoeléctrica Nueva Tocopilla) is a retired power station in Tocopilla, Antofagasta Region, Chile. It is also known as Norgener power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Nueva Tocopilla power station | Tocopilla, Tocopilla, Antofagasta Region, Chile | -22.096448, -70.209947 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: -22.096448, -70.209947
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired[1] | coal: subbituminous | 136 | subcritical | 1995 | 2024[1] |
| Unit 2 | retired[1] | coal: subbituminous | 141 | subcritical | 1997 | 2024[1] |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | AES Andes SA [100%] | AES Andes SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | AES Andes SA [100%] | AES Andes SA [100.0%] |
Background
The plant is owned by AES and was originally operated by AES Gener.[2][3] The 136MW Unit 1 was commissioned in 1995, and the 141MW Unit 2 was commissioned in 1997, with electricity from both units feeding into Chile's Sistema Interconectado del Norte Grande (SING) power grid.[2][4][5]
In April 2021, plant owner AES Gener changed its name to AES Andes.[3][6]
Phase-out
According to the Chilean Ministry of Energy's national decarbonization plan announced by President Sebastián Piñera in June 2019, both units of Nueva Tocopilla power station will cease operations no later than 2040.[7] Plant owner AES has agreed to consult with the government every five years to update details of the plan, taking into account system stability requirements, energy costs, and environmental goals.[7] AES Gener's 2019 annual report confirmed that all of the company's Chilean coal plants would shut down by 2040, but did not offer precise decommissioning dates for either unit of the Nueva Tocopilla plant.[8]
The Nueva Tocopilla plant's current power generation contract will expire in 2028.[9] As of July 2021, a specific decommissioning date for the plant was yet to be determined.[6] In a July 2021 interview with the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, AES Corp CEO Andrés Gluski hinted at the possibility of advancing the shutdown timeline for AES Andes' remaining coal plants in Chile from 2040 to 2030, but did not commit to specific shutdown dates for either the Nueva Tocopilla plant or AES's Cochrane power station.[10]
In May 2023, it was reported that the board of AES Andes had approved the early retirement of Nueva Tocopilla's generation units by the end of December 2025.[11] In December 2023, an environmental and decarbonization report by Fundación Terram confirmed the December 2025 retirement date, but noted that the Chilean National Energy Commission ('Comisión Nacional de Energía,' or CNE) had requested an earlier retirement for the two units in March 2024.[12]
Units 1 and 2 retired in 2024
In April 2024, AES successfully shut down its two coal-fired units at the Nueva Tocopilla (Norgener) power station, over a year ahead of the originally announced retirement date.[13][14]
Environmental Concerns
A 2019 joint study by Chile’s Universidad Católica and Chile Sustentable found that coal-fired power plants pose significant health threats to residents of Chile's Norte Grande region, with people living near the Nueva Tocopilla power station suffering markedly higher rates of lung cancer, asthma, heart disease, and related illnesses.[15]
Opposition
Plant owner AES Andes (formerly AES Gener) has been the subject of heavy criticism in recent years from Chilean environmental groups. In 2021, the groups Chile Sustentable, Fundación Terram and Alianza Chao Carbón published reports documenting the company's negative impact on human rights, health, and the environment.[16][17] Alianza Chao Carbón has taken a lead role in criticizing AES Gener for not committing to a precise shutdown date for all of its Chilean coal operations, noting that it is among the few companies that have failed to do so.[18]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20240529170018/https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/tocopilla-ya-no-tiene-centrales-a-carbon-aes-andes-desconecta-norgener-casi-dos-anos-antes-del-plazo-original/I7BBBU3VGNECLKITXCJA6VM3ZA/. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Centrales flexibilidad operativa: Nueva Tocopilla". AES Gener. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "La energía de AES Gener es ahora AES Andes | AES Chile". AES Chile. May 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "AES Gener Overview (p 20)" (PDF). AES Gener. September 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Norgener Coal Power Plant Chile, Global Energy Observatory website, accessed June 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "AES Accelerates 1 GW of Coal Plant Retirements in Chile". POWER Magazine. July 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "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) - ↑ "Memoria Integrada 2019 (p 237)" (PDF). AES Gener. February 27, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Fact Sheet (p 13)" (PDF). The AES Corporation. August 4, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Presidente de AES Corp y retiro del 100% de sus carboneras en Chile: "Me parece razonable acelerar estas decisiones para el 2030"". Generadoras de Chile. July 11, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "AES Andes S A : reports the retirement of its coal-fired units in Tocopilla," Market Screener, May 26, 2023
- ↑ Lleve su "Chile Verde," Fundación Terram, December 18, 2023
- ↑ AES closes 276MW coal-fired power in Chile, Argus Media, April 14, 2024
- ↑ Tocopilla ya no tiene centrales a carbón: AES Andes desconecta Norgener casi dos años antes del plazo original, La Tercera, April 15, 2024
- ↑ González, Karen (August 25, 2019). "Estudio UC: habitantes de zonas con termoeléctricas se enferman 4 veces más". La Tercera. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ↑ "AES Gener: Energía Sucia: Afectación de Derechos Humanos e Incumplimiento de la Regulación Eléctrica y Ambiental" (PDF). Chile Sustentable / Alianza Chao Carbón. December 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Minuta Relativa al Registro de Varamientos de Carbón en Caleta Ventanas Ano 2020" (PDF). Fundación Terram. February 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "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)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
