Utility AES Andes has started commercial operation on a 211MW solar PV project in Antofagasta, Chile.
The Andes Solar Park IV also comprises a 5-hour duration lithium-based 130MW battery energy storage system (BESS), which makes it the largest operational battery system in Latin America, according to the company.
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This project is part of the company’s solar hub in the region, which boasts 667MW of solar PV with 259MW of batteries, said Javier Dib, CEO of AES Andes. In Antofagasta, the company commissioned a 180MW solar-plus-storage project last year.
“Our investment plan includes having more than 1,600MW of operational batteries by 2027 in Chile. This is a concrete demonstration of AES Andes’ commitment to continue investing in the country, innovating, and contributing responsibly to the energy transition,” added Dib.
Last month, the utility entered into environmental processing for three new projects, which combine 1.7GW of solar PV and 2.4GW of BESS.
Furthermore, the company received an Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) for its Pampas Hybrid Park last August. The hybrid project will combine 140MW of wind capacity, 252MW of solar PV and 624MW of BESS with a 5-hour duration. Construction of the project is expected to start in the first half of 2025, as covered by our sister-site Energy-storage.news.
In related solar PV news in Chile, solar PV developer Verano Energy connected a 10.5MWp solar PV plant in the central region of Ñuble, south of Santiago.
Solar Steel supplies 230MW of solar trackers in Chile
In addition, today (24 October), Spanish tracker provider Gonvarri Solar Steel has signed a supply agreement for 230MW of PV trackers in Chile.
The company will supply over 3,600 single and dual-row 1P trackers to a project located in the north of the country, in the Atacama desert. According to the company, the supply agreement includes enough trackers to support nearly 380,000 modules. The region is known for having some of the highest solar irradiation in the world.
