Austrian solar developer Clean Capital Energy Group (CCE Group) started construction of the 87MW La Huella solar plant in Chile as part of a 230MW expansion of capacity in the country by 2022.

La Huella, located in the Coquimbo region of Northern Chile, will be ready in late 2020.

CCE has already secured three other projects that it also plans to develop over the next three years. The developer is expected to invest $70m in La Huella and has contracted Spanish construction firm Obrascon Huarte Lain SA to build the project amid what it called “the greatest solar irradiation on earth with consequently the highest PV yield”.

“CCE is currently investing together with a German pension fund in the realisation of the La Huella project, with the clear mission to jointly realise and operate this and other projects in Chile,” said Oppenhoff & Partner, the legal advisors to the La Huella project.

CCE started investing in Chile in 2015 and has built up a 500MW projects portfolio.

Chile, which has some of the best solar resources in the world, has been developing solar capacity at a fast pace as it drives towards a 20% renewable power supply target by 2025 and 70% by 2030.

Chile currently has 1.6GW of operating solar capacity and 5GW total non-hydro renewables out of a total fleet of 23GW.