EIG Global Energy Partners

EIG Global Energy Partners: Latin America’s first thermosolar plant

The US company EIG Global Energy Partners (EIG) was founded in Washington in 1982 and has offices in Brazil. It provides institutional capital to international companies in the oil and gas, transport and distribution, infrastructure, energy, and renewables sectors. EIG has committed over $37 billion to the energy sector through more than 370 projects or companies in 37 countries on six continents.

The company began investing in Chile in 2015 when it acquired 55% of the Cerro Dominador project, a solar complex that combines a 100MW photovoltaic plant with a 110MW concentrated solar power plant. EIG became the sole owner of the project in October 2016 and undertook the final stages of construction. The photovoltaic plant was inaugurated in 2017 and the concentrated solar power plant in 2018.

The Cerro Dominador project is located in the María Elena district of the Atacama Desert, an area with the highest concentration of solar radiation in the world. The solar plant has a pioneering thermal storage system that provides 17.5 hours of storage. The technology offers a high level of manageability, as it is able to consistently supply electricity 24/7, thereby responding to demands for energy consumption round the clock.

The project was successfully synchronized with Chile’s electricity network (Sistema Eléctrico Nacional, SEN) in April 2021. It has received sustainability accolades both in Chile and around the world. In 2015, the Cerro Dominador project was presented with the Inter-American Development Bank Infrastructure 360° Climate and Environment Award, in recognition of its commitment to the environment and its contribution to generating clean energy, with zero greenhouse gas emissions.