AES and ECORAY Start Santa Ana IV Solar Plant

• AES El Salvador and ECORAY have commissioned the 55-MW Santa Ana IV solar farm, adding major clean energy capacity after a $60M-plus investment and completing development and construction.

AES El Salvador, alongside local partner ECORAY, has commissioned the 55-MW/73-MWp Santa Ana IV solar farm in western El Salvador. The project follows an investment of more than $60 million (EUR 52.6 million), according to AES Corp’s unit.

Santa Ana IV adds new solar capacity to the country’s generation mix as the partners bring the facility online. AES said the commissioning marks the completion of the development and construction phase for the power plant in the region.

What does AES’s Santa Ana IV 55-MW solar commissioning mean for El Salvador’s capacity?

• Adds 55 MW of new installed solar generating capacity to El Salvador’s grid, increasing the country’s total available power supply.
  
• Brings an additional 73 MWp of photovoltaic (DC) capacity into operation, expanding the scale of solar resources available for electricity production.
  
• Strengthens the solar share in the national generation mix, supporting diversification away from fossil-based generation.
  
• Improves supply during daylight hours, when solar output can reduce dependence on more expensive or emissions-intensive generation and help meet daytime demand.
  
• Represents the transition from “project under development” to “operational asset,” meaning the capacity is now eligible to contribute to capacity availability and power procurement.
  
• Provides measurable capacity growth at a time when El Salvador is working to expand renewable generation, which can help support future electrification needs.
  
• Signals confidence in grid integration for utility-scale solar in western El Salvador, which can enable faster deployment of follow-on projects and pipeline development.
• Supports longer-term system planning by giving planners another confirmed, built capacity block rather than a forecasted one.