While headlines focus on Chevron’s return to Peru’s offshore Trujillo Basin, another story is unfolding in the south of the country: Orygen’s Wayra Solar project, a USD 71.8 million investment that will inaugurate Peru’s first large-scale hybrid renewable complex.

The Wayra Complex

  • Wayra Solar: a 94.2-MWac solar farm in Nasca, set to break ground in July 2025 and begin operation in late 2026. Built across 260 hectares with 130,000 bifacial panels, it will deliver 256 GWh per year, enough to power 230,000 households.
  • Integration with Wind: The solar farm will share grid infrastructure with the Wayra I (132.3 MW) and Wayra Extension (177 MW) wind farms, together creating a 403.5 MW hybrid hub.
  • Orygen’s Portfolio: Following this expansion, Orygen will hold 662.9 MW of renewable capacity, producing around 2,390 GWh annually—the equivalent of supplying nearly two million Peruvian homes.

Behind Orygen stands Actis, an UK based private equity firm that consolidated these assets after acquiring Enel Peru’s renewable portfolio. This underscores a broader trend: international capital repositioning itself around hybrid and renewable assets in South America.

Geopolitical significance

The simultaneous advance of hydrocarbons and renewables in Peru is not contradictory—it is strategic.

  • Hydrocarbons (North, Trujillo Basin): Backed by Chevron, Anadarko, and Westlawn, with projections of 100,000–150,000 barrels/day, Peru is reasserting itself as a potential offshore oil player in the Pacific.
  • Renewables (South, Nasca): With Wayra Solar and its wind counterparts, Peru is consolidating a large-scale hybrid complex that can feed into the national grid and export surplus capacity regionally.

This dual track positions Peru as an energy hinge:

  • To the United States and global majors, Peru offers hydrocarbons in line with traditional energy security needs.
  • To European investors and climate-focused funds, it offers large-scale renewables integrated into hybrid complexes.
  • To China, already entrenched in logistics and mining, Peru demonstrates openness to diversified infrastructure partnerships, including clean energy corridors.

Balancing the transition

Peru’s energy strategy reflects the dilemmas of many Global South states:

  • Reduce dependence on imports through hydrocarbons.
  • Attract climate-oriented capital through renewables.
  • Use both to strengthen national energy security and project geopolitical relevance in South America.

Conclusion

The Mar de Grau’s hydrocarbons and Nasca’s hybrid renewables are two sides of the same coin: Peru’s attempt to carve out a space of autonomy in a contested Pacific. By aligning itself with both fossil and renewable investments, Peru positions itself not as a passive recipient of global energy flows but as a hinge state—a place where different energy futures meet.