Uruguayan power utility UTE has launched a tender for a 75 MW solar park. The Melo solar project will be built near the city of Melo, Cerro Largo department.

According to the Environmental Feasibility of Location document presented to the Observatory, “the plant will consist of approximately 138,000 panels with a unit power of between 650 W and 750 W.”

The document states that the land on which the array will be built “is in the process of expropriation,” with a surface area of 2.12 square km. UTE said the project “will be installed on a plot adjacent to the 500 kV station and the 50/60 Hz frequency converter, belonging to UTE.”

The bidding process for the 75 MW solar project is expected to close in January 2026, with construction beginning in March 2026 and lasting two years. Operations should start between March and June 2028.

In 2023, UTE announced a $100 million investment in solar parks, set for completion between 2025 and 2027. The plants will be split between two sites, with 25% located on UTE land in San José and the remaining 75% in northern Uruguay. UTE is also building its first 32 MW solar park.

At the end of 2023, Uruguay had approximately 297 MW of installed PV capacity, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).