SMA Expands O&M Business in South America

SMA announced that it has secured two large-scale operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts in Chile, totaling nearly 180 MW. Under the contracts, Atlas Renewable Energy has chosen SMA to provide plantwide O&M for two utility-scale PV systems. These two projects will complement the standard PV solutions services that SMA has been providing in South America for several years, expanding O&M services to plants with both SMA and non-SMA inverters.

“Our projects in Chile are a key part of SMA’s strategic O&M investments globally to provide complete solutions for owners of PV assets. We are pleased to partner with Atlas as a strategic O&M partner in Chile and support its efforts to further develop PV in South America,” said Chuck Smith, executive vice president of Service for SMA America. “We are proud to expand our services in South America and to offer plantwide O&M for both utility and commercial projects anywhere on the globe.”

One of the O&M sites, Javiera, totaling almost 70 MW, is located in Diego de Almagro, a city in the Atacama region of Chile. The second site is Quilapilun, a 110 MW project located in Santiago.

“We are committed to the continued growth of solar across Latin America, and we need reliable partners to ensure the success of the PV industry here,” said Alfredo Solar, General Manager of Atlas Renewable Energy in Chile. “We know that SMA has the experience and reliability necessary to minimize risk, maximize plant life and make sure our PV plants operate smoothly and efficiently. We look forward to partnering with SMA for the long term.”

With SMA’s comprehensive O&M services, customers can expect the same expertise and bankability that they find with SMA inverters. SMA Service currently has more than 2.5 GW of solar assets under O&M agreements, which are monitored from SMA’s NERC compliant Solar Monitoring Centers located in California and Germany.