Chilean power producer Generadora Metropolitana has initiated the commissioning of its 480-MW CEME1 solar farm located in Maria Elena in Chile’s Antofagasta region, the firm said on Friday, and announced the plan to inaugurate the plant some time during the first half of 2024. Generadora Metropolitana is a joint venture between French utility EDF and Chilean energy company AME.

Built by PowerChina in the middle of the Atacama desert, CEME1 is now the largest solar photovoltaic park in Chile, surpassing Enel Green Power’s 398-MW Guanchoi.

The plant features more than 882,000 solar panels covering an area of 435 hectares (1,075 acres) at a site situated some seven kilometres (4.3 miles) from Maria Elena.

Generadora Metropolitana is now energising the facilities and conducting tests to ensure compliance with safety standards and quality of service, it said.

Once fully operational, the CEME1 solar farm will be capable of generating electricity for over half a million homes.