More than a decade driving the energy transition
AES El Salvador and ECORAY commission Santa Ana IV, a 55 MWn / 73 MWp solar plant
June 25, 2026
Santa Ana IV expands AES's portfolio to 18 solar parks, bringing its total nominal generation to 186 MW. This infrastructure covers approximately 25% of the solar energy generated in the country and avoids the emission of around 330,000 tons of CO2 each year.
With an investment exceeding US$60 million, AES El Salvador and the company ECORAY inaugurated the Santa Ana IV solar plant, a photovoltaic project with an installed capacity of 55 megawatts (MWn), making it the largest plant that AES currently operates within Salvadoran territory.
The new plant strengthens national energy security, diversifies the generation matrix, and consolidates the country's progress toward cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.
Cutting-edge technology
Santa Ana IV incorporates latest-generation photovoltaic technology designed to maximize energy production:
- Bifacial Panels: The plant features 124,432 bifacial solar panels of 585 watts, capable of capturing solar radiation on both their front and rear faces.
- Solar Trackers: It utilizes tracking systems that allow the modules to follow the sun's path throughout the day to increase generation efficiency.
The generated energy will be injected directly into the national transmission grid, supplying power demand in the western zone and contributing to the stability of the Salvadoran energy system.
One of the project's primary contributions lies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to AES El Salvador, Santa Ana IV will prevent the emission of approximately 119,000 tons of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) per year.
A transition that began more than a decade ago
The energy transition for AES El Salvador began in 2011 with the commissioning of the Nejapa biogas plant, considered at the time the first facility in Central America capable of generating electricity from methane gas captured in a landfill.
Subsequently, in 2015, the company built AES Moncagua—the country's first solar plant designed under the distributed generation modality—and promoted the Bósforo project, one of the most iconic solar complexes in the nation, comprising 10 photovoltaic plants strategically distributed across various departments.
Another major milestone was the development of the AES Meanguera del Golfo plant, a pioneer in combining solar generation with battery energy storage systems. This project allowed the supply of renewable energy to island communities, granting them greater levels of energy autonomy.
Driving the Economic and Environmental Future
The inauguration of Santa Ana IV represents the culmination of a new stage in this expansion process.
With this project, AES El Salvador marks more than a decade of strengthening its position as a key leader in the country's energy transition, with a total investment of approximately US$270 million in solar photovoltaic power plants. This milestone reaffirms the vital role that renewable energies are set to play in the economic and environmental future of El Salvador.
