The province of Buenos Aires confirmed its decision to compete in the AlmaSADI battery tender with projects developed by BAESA in strategic nodes where it already has operational infrastructure.
“We want to participate as a province in the AlmaSADI tender, because we have several locations where we can bid. The projects we submit from BAESA will most likely be in the nodes where we already have generation capacity, and we believe they will be competitive,” stated Gastón Ghioni , Undersecretary of Energy for the province of Buenos Aires.
“The idea is also to cover some of the nodes we have in the summer plan, especially to replace the forced diesel generation we have during the summer, which is a point that we have already identified and that we have been injecting there,” he added in dialogue with Energía Estratégica .
The Buenos Aires government identified 81 nodes where there is potential to supply infrastructure deficits with batteries, considering the critical state in 500 kV and 132 kV, along with the delay of major transmission works.
Furthermore, the interest in the AlmaSADI tender is occurring in a highly competitive environment , where the sector anticipates bids up to four times the awardable volume (700 MW), even though the objective remains to begin operations in January 2027, with tight deadlines for execution.
Although the province is evaluating its participation with technical caution: " The more technical issues are still being discussed to see what is convenient, how we will do it and what to contract ."
“Likewise, BESS projects become profitable, a viable business due to their cost and the capacity they offer within the existing infrastructure. This means they can be an alternative not only for projects like AlmaGBA or AlmaSADI, but also for other situations and for the future, given the current state of electric transportation,” Ghioni added.
From uncertainty to implementation: storage, cooperatives and PROINGED
The progress in storage is supported by the previous work of coordination with the sector , especially since the Storage Day organized by the Undersecretariat, which brought together more than 80 actors including cooperatives, distributors and companies.
“ There were quite a few doubts and concerns about the topic of batteries ,” acknowledges Ghioni, who explained that the initiative arose to organize an emerging market: “We saw that there was a need in the market to be able to understand all this about batteries.”
That is why, during the day, the national context for Storage Systems was addressed, delving into the technical and commercial opportunities of BESS in Argentina, and it was emphasized that these already represent a viable business due to the reduction of CAPEX and a favorable regulatory framework.
In parallel, PROINGED is beginning to integrate storage into its developments , with two or three projects incorporating batteries in the short term. These will help overcome limitations at critical points in the network.
“ We can solve specific network problems, especially at the end of the line ,” the undersecretary said, highlighting their ability to cover both daytime and nighttime peaks.
The strategy is complemented by distributed generation , especially in areas with low consumption density. However, Ghioni warns that the development of the electrical system requires structural changes: “The high-voltage system is in a critical state,” he points out.
Given this scenario, BAESA's participation in AlmaSADI not only responds to a market opportunity, but also to a concrete operational need, where batteries are positioned as an immediate solution to the limitations of the Argentine electrical system.