BYD to supply 3 GWh of battery storage for Grenergy’s Oasis de Atacama

After signing the supply deal for the first two phases of Oasis de Atacama totalling 1.1 GWh, Madrid-headquartered independent power producer (IPP) Grenergy Renovables has inked another deal with Chinese battery maker BYD for the purchase of the batteries needed for the third phase of its solar-plus-storage project located in northern Chile.

The supply agreement now totals 3 GWh of battery energy storage capacity making it BYD’s largest one to date.

With a capacity of 4.1 GWh in storage and about 1 GW of solar, Oasis de Atacama is divided into five phases. Currently under construction, the Quillagua connection – phase 1 – is scheduled to get off the ground by the end of 2024, while the next three phases are to be connected during 2025. 

The project, to which Grenergy will allocate up to $1.4 billion, already has 75% of its energy contracted through various long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Grenergy announced in July that it had reached financial close on the first two phases of the Oasis de Atacama solar and battery energy storage hybrid project. It had signed a $345 million green loan with other complementary credit lines with the financial institutions BNP Paribas, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, Societe Generale, The Bank of Nova Scotia, and SMBC.

Now, the company has reached a new milestone with the signing of the new supply contract with BYD. This agreement covers a total of 537 MC Cube containers, which will be installed at the Victor Jara project. They are expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2025 and to start operating in the same year.

Under the deal announced in January, the Chinese battery manufacturer is already providing Grenergy with a total of 2,136 devices of its MC Cube ESS model. Phase 1 has recently passed the factory acceptance test (FAT) process, which certifies the correct functioning of the battery systems for shipment, the manufacturer said in a release.

“The extension of this strategic agreement with BYD marks a key milestone in our expansion plans, driving storage projects on an unprecedented scale. We continue to consolidate our vision of a more efficient and sustainable energy system with technology that responds to the current and future challenges of the sector,” said David Ruiz de Andrés, CEO of Grenergy.