Newsletter ACERA - Noviembre 2019

10.
MEET OUR
MEMBERS
Paola is a Civil Electrical Engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica of
Valparaiso with a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. She is divorced and has
two children, with whom she likes to surf, but her greatest passion is singing.
Acera's newly elected Vice President has been in the energy industry for years,
another of her passions. "At one point in my life I understood that energy is a driver
of development, as it is a strategic industry and extremely challenging, and I like
challenges, I am not at ease in comfort zones, so I took it seriously and here I am."
Paola currently serves as Director of Regulatory Affairs in Chile and Colombia in AES
Gener, which she defines as committed to Chile. "It's a global company with diverse
teams, which enriches visions, and where the plurality of opinions and experiences is
valued. It is a company with a deep culture of tolerance and respect, which has
allowed us to be part of Great Place To Work."
How does AES Gener work?
We are committed to Chile and its energy transition, which has driven us to be the leading
company in the construction of renewable projects at the national level, with 847 MW in
construction by the end of 2019.
Paola
Hartung
Director of Regulatory Affairs
Chile and Colombia
paola.hartung@aes.com
We are diversifying our matrix with hydropower, wind and photovoltaic energy. Our project, Alto
Maipo, has an 8% advance and will be the run-of-river hydroelectric power plant that will deliver
power to the country's main consumer center. Recently, we acquired the Los Cururos Wind
Farm, one of Chile's main wind farms, and we are building two additional wind farms in
southern Chile. We are also expanding, our Andes Solar solar park in the Antofagasta region.
Which are the latest news or changes introduced by your company?
AES Gener has been a pioneer in the incorporation of new technologies in the energy industry.
We are leaders in the use of batteries and today we are adding 10 MW of storage to the existing
52 MW. These 10 MW will correspond to "Virtual Reservoir", a reservoir of energy, not water. This
technology will allow the energy generated in run-of-river power plants to be stored in a lithium
battery bank, so that it is injected into the system at peak times. This technological innovation is
unique worldwide. These advances will add sufficiency to renewable plants that otherwise could
not manage their resource.
What are the main projects - or topics – you are lately working on concerning renewable
energy?
The main renewable energy projects that we are working on are: Andes Solar II, a solar park
located in the Antofagasta region, that corresponds to the expansion of Andes Solar I and will
add 80 MW to the system; Virtual Reservoir, a dam of lithium batteries, currently under
construction, adjacent to the Alfalfal I plant in the commune of San José de Maipo, in the
Metropolitan Region; Mesamávida and Los Olmos, wind farms located in the Biobío region, that
will deliver 163 MW of renewable energy; and Alto Maipo, located in the mountain range in the
Metropolitan Region, one of the most challenging renewable energy projects being built in the
region. This run-of-river plant will have 75 kilometers of tunnels and five high mountain intakes.
The tunnels are 900 meters deep on average.
Paola believes that Chile has all the environmental conditions to facilitate the development of
clean energy. "Renewable energies will make us move towards an increasingly diverse matrix, but
to ensure their competitiveness and success they must be reinforced by storage systems and
expectations must be properly managed, since this transition must be handled in a responsible
way."
Why would you recommend being an ACERA member?
Because it is a consolidated association that has played a strategic role in putting on the table the
need for us as a country to have a diversified energy matrix, and this has to do with development,
growth and trust. Its members are represented through the Council and Directory, a human
group with the right skills, committed, dedicated and with a highly developed sense of country. It
has a genuine interest in building a better Chile, with long-term responsibility and vision.
When asked about the climate crisis that we are facing and what is her dream for 2030 Paola
says: "My renewable dream for 2030 is that our energy transition is carried out in a responsible
and sustainable way, incorporating all those elements of innovation that allow this process to be
successful".