Enel secures grid connection for 356 MW/2.1 GWh BESS in Chile

Chile’s National Electricity Coordinator has issued the Connection Authorization Report for Enel Green Power Chile’s BESS Guanchoi project, which comprises a 356 MW battery energy storage system with six hours of duration, equivalent to 2,136 MWh of energy capacity.

The BESS will be integrated with the existing Guanchoi PV plant so that the combined facility operates as a Renewable Generation Plant with Storage Capacity (CRCA). The BESS will connect to the 33 kV cells at the Bella Mónica substation, which is owned by Enel Green Power Chile.

Under the conditions communicated for the authorization, Enel must comply with the technical and regulatory requirements established by the Coordinator and obtain a construction declaration for the project from the National Energy Commission (CNE) before September 2027. Once the connection has been completed, use of the dedicated transmission infrastructure capacity will be indefinite.

The project represents a considerable expansion from the initial plans known for adding storage to Guanchoi. Documents published by the Coordinator in 2023 referred to a “Guanchoi PV plant storage system” of 42 MW, also connected to the Bella Mónica substation at 33 kV.

The new project advanced through the permitting process this year. Chile’s Electricity and Fuel Superintendency (SEC) records an application by Enel Green Power Chile for a definitive electricity concession for the Guanchoi 33 kV Underground Power Line. The application was submitted in April and declared admissible in June 2026.

Separately, at a hearing held on April 16 and recorded on the official Lobby Law platform, representatives of Enel Green Power discussed the electrical easement associated with BESS Guanchoi with officials from the Ministry of National Assets and reported a planned investment of $350 million for the storage system.

Guanchoi is located in the commune of Diego de Almagro in the Atacama region. The PV plant began commercial operations in July 2023 with 398 MW of net installed capacity. Enel estimates that it can produce more than 1,100 GWh annually, and the facility has around 900,000 bifacial solar modules.

The addition of BESS Guanchoi will expand Enel’s storage portfolio in Chile. The company recently started construction of the 100 MW Finis Terrae BESS and is also building the roughly 205 MW, four-hour Las Salinas system and the 94 MW/372 MWh Azabache BESS. Enel said in mid-August that it had more than 730 MW of storage in operation and under construction, a figure that did not yet include Guanchoi as a project under construction.

From pv magazine LatAm