Engie, Colbún progress 1.7 GWh of battery storage in Chile

Plans have been announced for a further 1.7 GWh of battery energy storage capacity in Chile, with BESS to be installed alongside solar and gas-fired generation in the Atacama and Antofagasta regions, respectively.

The Chilean division of French energy giant Engie will install a 140 MW/802 MWh BESS at its Mejillones Thermal Complex in the Antofagasta region, which is undergoing a transition from coal to gas.

Engie, in which the French state has a near-24% stake, is set to switch operations at the site from coal- to gas-fired generation next year and said “BESS Lile” will use electrical infrastructure originally designed for expansion of the power site.

Quoted in a press release issued by Engie on Thursday, Engie Chile Managing Director of Generation Laïlla Ducousso said, “One of the main strengths of BESS Lile is that it will leverage the complex’s existing infrastructure such as transmission lines, the interconnection substation, internal areas, and roads. This will optimize resources, reduce costs, and shorten execution times.”

The project’s 160 battery containers and 40 pieces of electrical support equipment will provide enough electricity to Chile’s national grid to power more than 80,000 homes for five hours. The BESS is due to be operational before 2027.

Engie said units one and two of its Mejillones coal-fired plant will be decommissioned at the end of the year, the Andina Thermoelectric Plant and Hornitos Thermoelectric Plant will cease operations “by 2026,” and the site’s Mejillones Energy Infrastructure will be converted to run on natural gas.

That announcement came days after Chilean energy company Colbún reported the start of construction of the e-Storage/Canadian Solar BESS to be added to its Diego de Almagro Sur solar-plus-storage plant in the Atacama.

With commercial operation of the 228 MW/912 MWh BESS set for December 2026, the battery will be installed at the 230 MW solar site to provide backup, regulation, and energy transfer services to Chile’s National Electric System. The BESS is set to provide enough electricity to supply around 55,480 homes, under optimal conditions.

The storage system will be based on E-Storage’s SolBank 3.0, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, with active balancing management and liquid cooling.

The Diego de Almagro Sur storage project will comprise 201 1.2 MW/4.8 MWh battery containers and 67 4.4 MW inverters which will operate on 33 kV, medium-voltage circuits connected to a new electrical room. The BESS will be connected to the Inca de Oro substation.

Local businesses will provide project management, commissioning, and long-term maintenance under the terms of the agreement signed between Colbún and e-Storage in April.

Colbún had previously developed an 8 MW/32 MWh BESS at the site which was inaugurated in 2022, at the same time as the solar project. Finnish manufacturer Wärtsilä provided the equipment for that BESS.

From pv magazine LatAm.