Cerro Dominador Solar Power Plant (Spanish: Planta Solar Cerro Dominador) is a 210-megawatt (MW) combined concentrated solar power and photovoltaic plant located in the commune of María Elena in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, about west-northwest of Sierra Gorda. The project was approved by the Chilean government in 2013 and construction was started by Abengoa Solar Chile, a branch of the multinational Abengoa Spain. The plant was inaugurated on June 8, 2021. A follow up project called Likana Solar bid $33.99/MWh in an auction in August 2021. History Construction started in May 2014. On 29 August 2015, workers mobilization started a strike over poor working conditions. Following Abengoa financial woes, construction halted in January 2016, after about 1,500 workers were fired from the project, leaving only maintenance personnel on site. Construction progress was more than 50% complete. In October 2016, EIG Global Energy Partners became the sole owner of the project, after acquiring the participation of Abengoa, which remained as a technological partner and builder. In February 2018, after Abengoa completed the construction of the 100 MW photovoltaic section, the plant started operation. In May 2018, EIG Global Energy Partners closed a $758 million financing and Abengoa partnered with Acciona to restart construction and execute the second phase of the CSP section, which happened in June 2018. Among the financing funders are Natixis, Deutsche Bank, Société Générale, ABN AMRO, Banco Santander, Commerzbank and BTG Pactual. In February 2020, the melting process of 45,000 tons salt in the thermal storage unit was initiated. The salt mixture was produced by the SQM mining company (Sociedad Química y Minera, a Chilean chemical supplier of fertilizers, iodine, lithium and industrial chemicals). Its solar receiver weighing 2,300 tons was raised at the end of February 2020 to a height of 220 meters in the central tower of the complex, giving the tower a total height of 252 meters. Cerro Dominador CSP project The Cerro Dominador project will see the construction and operation of a 110 MW concentrated solar power plant with storage in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta, located in the Atacama desert, one of the driest places with the highest solar radiation on earth. When finished, Cerro Dominador will be the largest CSP power plant with storage in Latin America. The facility will have a total aperture area of , fully usable at noon. It was grid connected in April 2021. Details Technology