Engie reaches 663 MW of operational BESS capacity in Chile

Engie Chile has announced the commercial operation date (COD) of BESS Libélula and BESS Los Loros, two battery energy storage systems located in the Metropolitan and Atacama regions, respectively, with a combined maximum gross power output of 251 MW.

With their addition, the company now has 663 MW of BESS capacity in operation in Chile.

The larger of the two systems is BESS Libélula, located in the municipalities of Colina and Tiltil, about 40 km north of Santiago. It has 203 MW of maximum gross power and 1,034 MWh of storage capacity, distributed across 208 lithium-ion battery containers, with a five-hour discharge duration.

The system is part of PV & BESS Libélula, Engie Chile’s first project in the Metropolitan Region and the company’s first project designed from the outset as a hybrid solar and storage facility.

The full complex represents an investment of $320 million, of which $219 million corresponds to the BESS. While the battery system has reached COD, the solar plant is fully energized and continues the process of obtaining authorization for commercial operation.

The solar plant has a maximum gross power output of 140 MW and comprises 245,560 modules. Its grid connection infrastructure includes a step-up substation and an approximately 16 km, 220 kV transmission line to the El Manzano substation.

As reported in April, during construction Engie reported 151 MWp of solar capacity and 199 MW of storage capacity for Libélula. The figures now reported following the start of operations correspond to maximum gross power outputs.

The plant also includes 2,311 Nextpower NX Horizon Low Carbon solar trackers, manufactured using steel produced in an electric arc furnace. Engie said the solution reduces emissions associated with the equipment by approximately 30% compared with conventional manufacturing methods.

BESS Los Loros, meanwhile, is integrated into the Los Loros Solar Park in the municipality of Tierra Amarilla, Atacama region. The system required an investment of $64 million and has a maximum gross power output of 48 MW and 275.23 MWh of storage capacity.

The installation comprises 63 containers with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and stores part of the solar plant’s daytime generation for subsequent delivery to Chile’s National Electricity System.

In March, BESS Los Loros was reported as energized, with Engie citing 46 MW of installed power and 230 MWh of capacity and expecting commercial operation in the second half of this year. The company now reports maximum gross power and capacity of 48 MW and 275.23 MWh, respectively, following COD.

“Hoy estamos construyendo la infraestructura necesaria para una nueva etapa de la transición energética, donde no basta con incorporar más energías renovables, sino que también debemos desarrollar capacidades que permitan gestionarlas de manera eficiente y segura”, said Juan Villavicencio, CEO of Engie Chile.

The new projects add to Engie’s growing storage portfolio in Chile. Recent facilities to enter commercial operation include BESS Tocopilla, with 116 MW/660 MWh, and BESS Arica, with 25 MW/150 MWh.

From pv magazine LatAm