El Salvador is preparing to inaugurate its second state-owned solar plant, located in the department of San Vicente next to the 15 de Septiembre hydroelectric dam, the General Directorate of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Mines (DGEHM) confirmed this week.

According to DGEHM director Daniel Álvarez, the new project, known as 15 Solar, was developed on unused land surrounding the hydroelectric facility to optimize energy production throughout the year. “In 2023 we inaugurated the first state solar plant, and we are now close to opening another one. This second plant has a capacity of 20 megawatts,” Álvarez said during a state television interview on October 22.

The official explained that the plant is designed to ensure generation continuity during dry periods when hydroelectric output falls, injecting up to 20 MW of clean energy into the national grid.

The country’s first public solar plant was built in Talnique and began operating in December 2023 with 29,904 panels, a generation capacity of 17 MW, and management under Inversiones Energéticas (INE), a subsidiary of the CEL hydropower authority.

Álvarez added that the San Vicente project is currently undergoing final testing and is expected to start feeding energy into the grid by the end of the month. The government also plans to expand the facility in future phases.

Official data from Siget indicates that 97.02 percent of energy generation facilities in El Salvador are photovoltaic. By late 2024, the country reported 2,009 generation plants with an installed capacity of 3,101.2 MW, of which 1,953 were solar farms totaling 734.23 MW.

The government is also moving forward on other renewable fronts. A biogas plant on the Acelhuate River has completed its environmental study and is preparing for construction, while new geothermal infrastructure is advancing in Chinameca and San Vicente.