Sungrow plans 923 MWh battery, transmission project in Chile

Chinese renewables heavyweight Sungrow has submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a $157 million project, featuring a 120 MW/922.76 MWh BESS facility and a high voltage line in the Melipilla commune  in Santiago’s metropolitan region.

The project would occupy an area of ​​approximately 2.8 hectares, using 184 storage units which will be connected to a step-up substation housing a 125 MVA 33/220 kV high voltage transformer. It also includes the construction of a 230 meter-long, 220 kV transmission line, which would connect to the National Electricity System (SEM), via the existing Nueva Melipilla substation.

According to the application submitted to the Chilean environmental assessment agency SEA, the project will be used “to store energy, mainly generated by non-conventional renewable energy sources during daylight hours, and then inject it into the national power grid at times of high demand.”

Sungrow justified the project location based on the land availability “with a topography suitable for BESS” and the proximity and availability of a connection point to the SEN, via the existing Nueva Melipilla substation.

If approved, the project should start construction in August 2026 and have a useful life of 30 years.

Sungrow’s 6.5 hour BESS in Melipilla is one of many big batteries vying to join the Chilean grid as the nation grapples with a growing curtailment problem. According to the latest data from the Chilean Association of Renewable Energy and Storage (Acera), 3 GW of energy storage projects have gotten off the ground and another 15 GW are at the environmental permitting stage.