Acciona Energía develops 1 GWh BESS in Chile’s Atacama desert

Spanish company Acciona Energía has announced the construction of a 200 MW/1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The project will be colocated with the 238 MWp Malgarida photovoltaic complex, with operations expected to begin in early 2027.

The Malgarida I and II solar plants, located in the Diego de Almagro commune of the Atacama region, together provide 238 MWp of peak capacity and represent an investment of approximately $170 million. The complex generates an estimated 654 GWh of electricity annually.

Once completed, the 1 GWh storage system will rank among the largest battery projects in Latin America. Acciona Energía has not disclosed the specific investment value for the storage system.

Acciona Energía currently operates 922 MW of installed capacity in Chile, distributed across five photovoltaic plants- El Romero Solar (246 MWp) , Usya (64 MWp) , Almeyda (62 MWp) and Malgarida I and II (238 MWp) – as well as three wind farms: Punta Palmeras (45 MW), San Gabriel (183 MW), and Tolpán Sur (84 MW).

The new BESS forms part of Acciona Energía’s broader energy storage strategy in Chile, which includes three additional storage projects linked to its photovoltaic assets, with a combined capacity of around 1.5 GWh.

From pv magazine LatAm