Wind tables lowest bid in Argentine renewable energy auction
The second round of Argentina's RenovAr renewable energy auction saw the lowest bid come from the wind sector, at $37.30 per MWh, while the lowest solar bid was $40.44 per MWh, said the country's Ministry of Energy and Mining. Round two was launched in August, following two previous auctions (Round 1 and Round 1.5), and procured 1.2 GW of capacity. 9.4 GW of capacity was bid, of which 7.5 GW qualified for the auction. The ministry said average prices in round two for solar and wind were $48.67/MWh and $47.64/MWh, respectively.
The lowest bid received in the Round 2 tender of Argentina's RenovAr renewable energy auction programme was of USD 37.30 (EUR 31.48) per MWh and it came from the wind sector.

The lowest bid for solar technology was USD 40.44 per MWh, Argentina's Ministry of Energy and Mining said on Thursday as it announced the opening of economic bids in the tender.

Round 2, launched in August, follows two previous tenders under the programme, Round 1 and Round 1.5, which were conducted in the second half of 2016. The latest tender aims to contract a total of 1.2 GW of capacity. Of the about 9.4 GW bids received, some 7.5 GW have been qualified to remain in the competition, whose results will be announced on November 29. The qualified bids include over 3.75 GW of solar offers and almost 3.5 GW of wind, the ministry said on Thursday.

The average Round 2 prices for wind and solar were USD 47.64 and USD 48.67 per MWh, respectively. For wind this marks a fall of 31.5% compared to Round 1 and 12.1% compared to Round 1.5, while for solar the declines are of 36.2% from Round 1 and 13.2% from Round 1.5.

The table below gives more details about the lowest and average prices per technology. The average is calculated on the basis of qualified offers.

Technology lowest USD/MWh average USD/MWh Wind 37.30 47,64 Solar 40.44 48.67 Biomass 92.00 107.07 Biogas 150.00 157.97 Biogas from landfills 128.00 129.18 Small hydropower 89.00 97.28

Under the RenovAr programme, awarded projects sign 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the Wholesale Electricity Market Administration Company (CAMMESA). A total of 2.4 GW of projects were awarded under the first two tenders of the programme.

The announcement comes on the heels of the completion of a power auction in Mexico, where a price of USD 20.57 per MWh was achieved.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.844)

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