A cyberattack has forced the Huatacondo solar farm in Chile’s Atacama Desert to shut down completely, disrupting both its solar power generation facility and connected battery energy storage system. According to official records published by Chile’s National Electric Coordinator, the incident occurred in late August and resulted in the renewable energy facility being disconnected from the regional electricity network.
The cyberattack also affected the nearby Santa Rita substation transformer, which plays an important role in connecting the solar farm to the wider electricity grid. Following the incident, the facility and its associated battery storage units reported zero availability in daily operational records for nearly two months. The extended period of unavailability highlights the significant operational impact of the cybersecurity breach on the renewable energy installation.
The Huatacondo solar farm covers approximately 150 hectares and has an installed generation capacity of 103 megawatts (MW). The project represents a major renewable energy investment supported by an international consortium involving partners from Japan and France. Its solar generation capacity, combined with battery storage infrastructure, makes it an important asset within the region’s electricity network.
Although the national grid coordinator confirmed that a cyberattack caused the facility’s disconnection, further information about the incident remains limited. Authorities have not disclosed the identity of the attackers, the technical methods used to gain access to the facility’s systems, or whether the incident involved any ransom demands. The extent of the damage to the plant’s operational technology and control systems has also not been publicly clarified.
The incident highlights the growing cybersecurity risks facing renewable energy infrastructure as solar farms, battery storage installations and electricity networks increasingly depend on digital monitoring and automated control systems. These technologies improve operational efficiency but can also create additional entry points for cyber threats if security measures are inadequate.
The disruption at Huatacondo demonstrates how a targeted digital attack can affect electricity generation and grid connectivity for an extended period. It also reinforces the importance of stronger cybersecurity frameworks, continuous system monitoring, regular security assessments and effective incident response mechanisms across the renewable energy sector. Protecting critical digital infrastructure will become increasingly important as countries expand solar power generation and battery storage capacity to support their clean energy transition.
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