Few renewable energy developers in Latin America have matched the ambition, innovation, and impact of Atlas Renewable Energy – especially over the past year.
Over this period, the Miami-headquartered firm closed several landmark financings across Chile, Brazil, and Colombia, emerging as a pioneer in the solar-plus-storage sector. This technology is increasingly vital in addressing the transmission bottlenecks and distribution imbalances that have long hindered regional energy markets.
Among its standout achievements were two transactions that themselves won awards: the $510 million Estepa I and II solar complex in Chile, named Energy Storage Financing of the Year, and the $550 million Luiz Carlos Solar Complex in Brazil, recognized as Renewable Energy Financing of the Year. These deals exemplify Atlas’s ability to combine financial sophistication with technical ambition.
CEO Carlos Barrera says that Atlas’s success is rooted in deep regional knowledge and a strategic response to global market trends. “There has been a general pick-up of renewable investment across the world and certainly in Latin America. That is the opportunity in front of us, as the region ticks many boxes for renewables,” he says.
Rising power demand, coupled with abundant wind, solar, and hydro resources, creates fertile ground for growth. Barrera also highlights a growing corporate appetite for clean energy solutions. “We look for tailor-made solutions for those companies, so that they complete their energy transition,” he explains.
Barrera identifies battery storage as the defining trend of the next phase of renewable expansion. Developed economies are already scaling storage deployment, and Chile has taken an early regulatory lead to encourage similar activity. “Other countries are starting to do that too, even if it will take longer,” Barrera says. “We are increasingly looking for opportunities to add value, and we see batteries as a huge part of it.” Another promising frontier is the supply of clean energy to data centers.
At the end of July, Atlas secured a R$1 billion financing package with Brazilian development bank BNDES to build a solar plant dedicated to powering V.Tal’s data center infrastructure. “I am fairly bullish that there will be a boom in this segment over the coming years,” Barrera says.
While Atlas’s largest markets remain Brazil and Chile, the company is steadily expanding in Mexico and Colombia. The outlook differs by country, but Barrera sees reasons for optimism across the region. Brazil is grappling with curtailment risks, though he expects a swift rebound. Chile is booming, driven by its aggressive decarbonization agenda. Mexico has been a difficult environment for private developers, but the fundamentals remain compelling. Colombia, meanwhile, is starting to ramp up as its renewable sector gains momentum.
Atlas’s story is also one of corporate transformation and rapid growth. Founded in 2017 by industry veterans and initially backed by sustainable infrastructure investor Actis, the company has since attracted investment from Global Infrastructure Partners and established itself as the largest privately owned renewable energy producer operating in Latin America.
Today, Atlas manages an asset base of more than 8.4 gigawatts, with 3.6 GW in operation and another 3.2 GW in construction or late-stage development. Its full-cycle model—spanning development, financing, construction, and operations—has helped deliver projects on time and on budget, while embedding sustainability and community engagement at their core.
The company has already raised more than $5 billion in credit from a roster of global banks, multilateral lenders, and local financial institutions. It has pioneered corporate PPAs with blue-chip industrial clients, including one of the largest renewable energy contracts ever signed in Latin America, a 902MW agreement with Albras in Brazil.
In less than a decade, the company has grown into a standard-bearer for the region’s clean energy transformation. With a formidable asset base, a commitment to innovation, and a business model built around both financial discipline and social value, the firm is well-positioned to help deliver the promise of the region’s renewable future.