AES plans 809 MW collocated battery in Chile

AES Andes, a company 99% owned by US energy company The AES Corporation, has submitted plans for its Solar Oriente photovoltaic park project to the Environmental Assessment Service of the Tarapacá region of Chile.

The 581.46 MWp solar site would include a five-hour battery with rated power of up to 809.22 MW, which AES Andes said could inject power into Chile’s National Electric System.

The solar-plus-storage site would be located in the commune of Pozo Almonte, in the province of Tamarugal.

The environmental assessment documents indicate the project will require $900 million of investment and, if approved, construction would begin on October 1, 2025.

The project site would occupy 391 hectares and up to 638 workers could be hired during construction with 61 of them staying on once the plant is operational.

At the end of August 2024, AES Andes said it had obtained environmental approval for the Pampas wind, solar, and energy storage project, which will feature 140 MW of wind and 252 MW of solar generation capacity plus a 624 MW, up-to-five-hour-storage battery.

From pv magazine Latin America.