Engie breaks ground on 995 MWh solar-plus-storage Chilean project

The Chilean arm of French energy giant Engie has begun construction of the Libélula solar-plus-storage project and expects commercial operation before September next year.

The 199 MW/995 MWh energy storage and 151 MWp solar site, in the municipalities of Colina and Tiltil 40 km north of Santiago, is Engie’s first in the capital’s Metropolitan region.

Engie says the project, including a booster substation and 16 km high-voltage transmission line, will connect to the El Manzano substation on Chile’s National Electric System and will require more than $310 million of investment.

The site, the first solar-plus-storage project built from scratch by Engie Chile, will feature 208 lithium-ion battery containers.

Engie Chile wants 3.5 GW of installed energy capacity by 2027, with more than 60% of it renewable energy generation and battery capacity.

Libélula will reportedly feature 245,560 solar panels and 2,311 low-carbon NX Horizon solar trackers, manufactured in the United States using electric arc furnace technology. That would see the project become the first large-scale PV site in Latin America to feature decarbonized steel Nextracker claims has 30% lower carbon emissions than conventional steel products.

An environmental impact study submitted by the developer in October 2023 has been approved by Chile’s Environmental Assessment Commission.

From pv magazine LatAm.