Chile’s Pradera Larga hybrid project featuring 450 MWh battery secures environmental approval

Milan-based developer Limes Renewable Energy has announced that its Pradera Larga project, comprising 84 MWp of solar photovoltaics and a 90 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) with a 5-hour duration, has obtained its Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA).

The facility will be located in the provinces of Valparaíso and San Antonio, spanning the communes of Casablanca and Algarrobo. It will feature the installation of 116,816 solar panels, each with a capacity of 715 Wp, mounted on trackers.

The developer states that this is “Limes’ most ambitious project outside Europe to reach this milestone to date.” It added that the move reflects a strategy “to develop renewable assets closer to centers of high electricity demand.”

In line with this, the company asserts that “although utility-scale solar PV in central Chile involves a more complex permitting process than in the northern desert regions, Limes is focused on the long-term advantages of these locations, including strong and growing demand and limited local generation.”

Finally, the announcement notes that “by reducing reliance on long-distance transmission, this approach also helps de-risk Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), a known bottleneck for PV projects in northern Chile.”

The Pradera Larga project was submitted to the Environmental Evaluation Service (SEA) in April of last year. Its next phase will be to advance toward Ready-to-Build (RTB) status next year, alongside construction financing, PPA negotiations, and procurement activities.

Limes also expects to soon obtain environmental approval (RCA) for its BESS Huañil project (200 MW).

With this latest approval, the company—which announced its entry into the Chilean market in 2019, claims to now have a portfolio of approximately 180 MWp of PV and 620 MW of BESS in the country. This includes Pradera Larga, BESS Huañil, and early-stage developments such as BESS Pimiento (100 MW) and BESS El Ganso (150 MW).

From pv magazine LATAM.