Grenergy inaugurates 3.5 GWh battery project in Chile, expands Atacama plans

Madrid-based IPP Grenergy has inaugurated Elena, a 3.5 GWh battery energy storage project in Chile’s Antofagasta region. The facility forms Phase 6 of the company’s Oasis de Atacama solar and storage platform in northern Chile.

Grenergy said the project is the largest battery storage facility currently operating in the Americas. The installation comprises 624 battery containers housing 6,240 battery units and forms part of the company’s plan to expand its storage portfolio to 7 GWh by 2028.

The project was officially opened at a ceremony in the municipality of María Elena attended by Chilean President José Antonio Kast Rist, Energy Minister Ximena Rincón, Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Minister Ximena Lincolao, and Spain’s ambassador to Chile, Laura Oroz.

Elena is one component of the broader Oasis de Atacama development, which Grenergy expanded last month as part of an updated strategic plan. The company now aims to develop 2.5 GW of solar generation and 14.1 GWh of battery storage across the platform.

Grenergy said the project established the template for a solar-plus-storage model it intends to replicate elsewhere. Planned developments include the Oasis Central platform in central Chile, with 1.4 GW of solar and 5.1 GWh of storage, and the Iberian Oasis project in Spain.

Combined, the company’s Oasis developments represent 5 GW of solar capacity and 22 GWh of battery storage, according to Grenergy. The company said the projects are designed to shift solar generation into non-solar hours, provide grid flexibility and supply dispatchable renewable energy to industrial customers.

Data center plans

Grenergy also disclosed additional details about GR Data, its data center business in Chile, which it said has a development pipeline totaling 1 GW of IT capacity.

One of the first planned projects is Atacama Data, an artificial intelligence training campus located near the Elena battery facility. Grenergy said the development will launch with 400 MW of IT capacity and could expand to 1 GW.

The company is also planning the Polpaico Campus Norte and Alto Jahuel Campus Sur data center projects near Chile’s main connectivity hubs. Together, the two facilities are expected to provide an additional 600 MW of IT capacity.

Grenergy has operated in Chile since 2012. The company said it has invested $2.8 billion in the country to date and plans to invest a further $2 billion over the next two years, bringing its total investment in Chile to $4.8 billion.

From pv magazine LatAm