Chile has accumulated 29,054 MW of storage projects in environmental stages , a portfolio that anticipates several more years of expansion for a market that already exceeds 10 GW between operation, testing and construction.
According to the latest bulletin from the Chilean Association of Renewable Energies and Storage (ACERA), 17729 MW already have environmental approval and 11325 MW remain in qualification .
The BESS portfolio encompasses virtually the entire portfolio. Of the approved projects, 17,119 MW correspond to batteries , while the remaining 610 MW are divided between Carnot batteries and liquid air storage (LAES). The 11,325 MW still under evaluation correspond entirely to BESS developments.
Solar hybridization accounts for the largest portion of the pipeline. Among the projects with a favorable Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) are 8,776 MW of photovoltaic solar + BESS , compared to 7,462 MW of standalone storage, 324 MW associated with wind power, and 557 MW linked to projects that combine solar and wind power.
The trend is repeated among the initiatives that are still awaiting approval: 5414 MW are hybrid solar projects , 3350 MW standalone, 1335 MW wind with batteries and another 1226 MW combine solar and wind generation with storage.
The pipeline continues to incorporate projects
The July snapshot does not show a static portfolio. A survey conducted by Energía Estratégica in June detected that more than 3 GWh of new storage capacity had entered the environmental permitting process in just three months , with a strong presence of photovoltaic plants combined with BESS and individual projects of up to 750 MWh.
Some initiatives that were going through that process have already begun to obtain the necessary authorizations.
During June , BESS Lucero , by África Solar, and Águila Andina were approved. The former, located in Bulnes, Ñuble Region, will have a capacity of 95 MW and 340 MWh , while the latter will be installed in Vallenar, Atacama, with 200 MW and 800 MWh .
Both projects total 295 MW, 1140 MWh and USD 298 million of investment .
Julio added two more approvals in the O'Higgins Region. Remanso , by Orion Power, projects 150 MW and 750 MWh in Rancagua and will require USD 165 million.
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Added to this development is Elara , by GR Cururo, in Rengo, which received the green light with an investment of USD 123.3 million and plans to install 90 MW and 540 MWh , with a peak capacity of 624.24 MWh.
Together, Lucero, Águila Andina, Remanso and Elara contribute 535 MW and 2430 MWh of standalone projects that passed the environmental assessment between June and July alone.
More than 5 GW have already made the leap to construction.
The difference between the environmentally approved capacity and the capacity that actually reached the construction site remains significant.
ACERA reports 5,040 MW and 21,721 MWh currently under construction , compared to over 17 GW that have received Environmental Qualification Resolutions (RCA) but have not yet reached that stage. The projects under construction have an average autonomy of 4.3 hours .
In this stage, solar thermal power is also dominated by photovoltaics: 3,580 MW and 15,100 MWh , equivalent to 71% of the capacity under construction, correspond to solar + storage. Another 1,084 MW and 5,117 MWh , 22%, are standalone BESS (Basic Energy Storage System).
This capacity is further augmented by 3,151 MW and 14,698 MWh currently under testing , while another 2,655 MW and 11,250 MWh are already operational . Thus, Chile has a total of 10,846 MW of storage capacity, including those in operation, testing, and under construction .
The portfolio growth is occurring while constraints persist on utilizing all available renewable generation. Between January and July, the country accumulated 2,680 GWh of solar and wind power cuts , 1.6% more than in the same period of 2025.
Ana Lía Rojas , executive director of ACERA, summarized the challenge by warning that “developing generation and storage without accelerating networks does not solve the problem; it moves the bottleneck.”
With 29 GW still in the environmental pipeline , the next filter for the Chilean market will be to determine what proportion of that portfolio manages to transform the RCA into financing, connection and effective construction.
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Strategic Energy will be present at Intersolar
LATAM is going through a key moment for the expansion of renewable energies, driven by new regulatory challenges, the growth of electricity demand and the development of storage.
In this context, Energía Estratégica will be present at two of the leading solar industry events in Latin America: The Smarter E South America, from August 25 to 27 in São Paulo, Brazil, and Intersolar Mexico, from September 1 to 3 in Mexico City . From both events, the publication will provide special coverage with exclusive interviews, regulatory analysis, and the key developments that will shape the future of regional markets.