Peruvian energy company Orygen has begun energising its 72 million dollar Wayra Solar plant in Marcona, sending its first power to the national grid.
The facility completed its construction phase and initiated testing with an initial injection of 10.5 megawatts into the National Interconnected Electric System, known as SEIN. Progressive testing will continue until commercial operations begin in the final quarter of 2026.
Once fully operational late in 2026, the plant will make its entire renewable generation capacity available to Peru. The project carries an installed capacity of 94.22 megawatts and represents a total investment of approximately 72 million US dollars.
Marcona is a coastal district located in the Ica region of southern Peru, an area known for high solar radiation and strong winds. The national grid system connects electrical generation facilities to homes and industries across the country.
Solar technology and power generation
Wayra Solar features more than 130,000 bifacial photovoltaic panels mounted on solar tracking structures. These tracking systems orient the modules toward the sun throughout the day to maximise solar radiation capture and electricity output.
Bifacial solar panels produce electricity by absorbing sunlight on both their front and rear surfaces. Solar tracking equipment rotates the panels to follow the movement of the sun across the sky, increasing energy capture compared to fixed installations.
Orygen estimates that the plant will produce approximately 256 gigawatt hours of clean electricity each year. That volume equals the annual energy consumption of around 230,000 Peruvian households and will avoid roughly 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Eugenio Calderon, the operations manager at Orygen, said the commercial launch of the plant will bring the company's total solar capacity connected to the national grid to 353.6 megawatts.
Peru first large scale hybrid energy complex
Wayra Solar forms part of the Wayra Renewable Energy Complex, which the company identifies as the first large scale hybrid wind and solar project in Peru. The facility integrates with the existing Wayra I and Wayra Extension wind farms to create a combined complex exceeding 400 megawatts of installed capacity.
Hybrid power complexes combine multiple generation sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels, at a single site. This arrangement balances electricity production because solar panels generate power during daylight hours while wind turbines often produce peak output during late afternoon and night.
Orygen chief executive Marco Fragale previously explained that the hybrid design allows the solar plant to share existing electrical transmission infrastructure developed for the wind farms, making energy delivery to the grid more efficient. Construction on the solar facility had surpassed 70 percent progress by early September.
Corporate expansion and employment impact
The development comes during a period of transition for Orygen following its acquisition by Grupo Romero. The Peruvian conglomerate took control of the company after completing the purchase of Niagara Generation in March 2026.
Grupo Romero is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Peru, maintaining business operations across sectors including energy, logistics, agriculture, and financial services.
Following the ownership change, Orygen established a long term strategy focused on expanding its renewable portfolio across northern and southern Peru. The company has two projects near the ready to build stage aimed at starting construction in 2027, along with three additional initiatives currently in development.
More than 1,300 jobs were created during the construction of Wayra Solar. Local workers from the Ica region accounted for 36 percent of the workforce.
The project involved more than 100 female professionals across various roles, including engineers, technicians, health specialists, administrative staff, and skilled trade workers. Orygen operates a total installed capacity of 2.3 gigawatts in Peru across solar, wind, hydroelectric, and natural gas technologies, with a prioritised development pipeline of 3 gigawatts.
