Peru grants 320-hectare easement for Zelestra’s 242 MWp Babilonia solar plant in Arequipa

The ministerial resolution published in official gazette El Peruano grants the easement to Babilonia Solar S.A.C., holder of the definitive renewable generation concession awarded in October 2025 for 200 MW nominal capacity. The affected land consists entirely of state-owned property registered in the Arequipa property registry. Under Peru’s Electric Concessions Law, the company may use the land without paying compensation for the easement right, though it must repair any damages resulting from occupation. The authorized area overlaps with transit and passage easements previously granted to Kallpa Generación S.A. and CSF Continua Chachani S.A.C., but Babilonia Solar has executed agreements with both companies to ensure project compatibility and coexistence.

The Babilonia project requires an investment initially estimated at $140 million and features more than 394,000 bifacial modules installed on solar trackers. In March 2026, Zelestra closed $176 million in green financing from Natixis CIB and BBVA Peru, exceeding the original investment estimate. The new land authorization complements a permanent easement approved in April 2026 for transmission infrastructure comprising a 220 kV line spanning 7.66 kilometers between the Babilonia and San José substations.

Babilonia forms part of the La Joya solar complex, which includes the 300 MW San Martín plant already operational and the 123 MWp San Joaquín project, which received environmental impact declaration approval in May. The complex represents a significant concentration of solar capacity in Arequipa department, with the three projects totaling 665 MWp. Following Promigas’s acquisition of Zelestra’s Latin American assets, Zelestra retained its engineering and construction operations in Peru, maintaining responsibility for completing Babilonia and potentially bidding for future projects. The land easement authorization removes a regulatory hurdle and positions the project to meet its commercial operation deadline within nine months.