ENGIE Chile put into commercial operation BESS Libélula and BESS Los Loros , two new systems that add up to 251 MW of power and 1309.23 MWh of storage , raising to 663 MW the BESS capacity that the company maintains operational in the country.
The projects collectively mobilized USD 283 million and have different configurations. Libélula, located north of Santiago, contributes 203 MW/1034 MWh and five hours of autonomy , while Los Loros adds 48 MW/275.23 MWh in Atacama.
The start of operations expands ENGIE's ability to transfer renewable energy between different times of the day and respond more flexibly to the needs of the National Electric System, in a Chilean market where storage is rapidly gaining scale.
“ Today we are building the necessary infrastructure for a new stage of the energy transition, where it is not enough to incorporate more renewable energies, but we must also develop capabilities that allow us to manage them efficiently and safely ,” said Juan Villavicencio, CEO of ENGIE Chile.
Both systems also achieved commercial operation ahead of schedule and within the planned investment , the company noted.
The largest of these is PV & BESS Libélula , located between the municipalities of Colina and Tiltil, approximately 40 kilometers north of Santiago. It is ENGIE Chile's first energy project in the Metropolitan Region and also its first hybrid development designed from the outset to integrate photovoltaic generation and batteries in a single installation.
The entire complex represents an investment of USD 320 million , of which USD 219 million corresponds to the BESS , which has just reached its COD (Certification of Development). The solar plant, meanwhile, is 100% energized and continues the process toward achieving its own commercial operation.
The photovoltaic component will have a maximum gross power of 140 MW and is composed of 245,560 solar panels .
Alongside it, the storage system has 208 lithium-ion battery containers , with a maximum gross power of 203 MW and 1034 MWh. Its discharge autonomy reaches five hours , a feature that allows the availability of stored electricity to be extended for several hours.
The combined capacity of PV & BESS Libélula is equivalent to supplying more than 120,000 homes in Chile. To connect to the National Electric System, the development includes a step-up substation and a 220 kV transmission line approximately 16 kilometers long , linked to the El Manzano Substation.
The project also incorporates 2311 low-carbon NX Horizon solar trackers , developed by Nextpower and manufactured with steel produced using electric arc furnace technology.
According to information provided by ENGIE, this solution reduces emissions associated with this equipment by approximately 30% compared to conventional manufacturing methods and makes Libélula the first large-scale photovoltaic park in Latin America to incorporate this technology.
Los Loros adds another 275 MWh in Atacama
The second asset to reach commercial operation is BESS Los Loros , installed within the Los Loros Photovoltaic Park in Tierra Amarilla, Atacama Region. With its addition, the existing plant now operates under a PV+BESS configuration.
ENGIE allocated USD 64 million to the system, which has 48 MW of maximum gross power and 275.23 MWh of storage , distributed in 63 containers with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.
According to the company, its capacity is equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 40,000 homes .
With Libélula and Los Loros now operational, ENGIE adds more than 1.3 GWh of new energy capacity and consolidates a portfolio of 663 MW BESS in operation in Chile .