Dominican Republic launches tender for 200 MW and 800 MWh of battery storage with award in February 2027

The Dominican Republic has launched the tender specifications for a new bidding process to contract up to 200 MW of power and 800 MWh of battery energy storage (BESS) , with the award scheduled for February 25, 2027 .

The procedure (formalized through Resolution SIE-141-2026-LCE) is aimed exclusively at existing solar photovoltaic and wind power projects that maintain long-term contracts with the country's electricity distribution companies.

The contract includes a supply period of 180 months, equivalent to 15 years , and a maximum term of 12 months to implement the systems and obtain the commercial operating authorization.

In this way, the country is moving forward with a call for proposals that had already been announced by authorities during the Future Energy Summit (FES) Caribbean 2026. At that meeting, Ricardo Guerrero, Vice Minister of Electric Power, confirmed that the Government was working on a tender to incorporate batteries into existing renewable energy parks.

Subsequently, during the 11th Energy Week , held in October in Santo Domingo, Joel Santos Echavarría, Minister of Energy and Mines, confirmed to Energía Estratégica that the country was preparing a 200 MW storage procedure for renewable power plants in operation , as part of a broader portfolio of electricity contracts.

With the approval of the framework, the new scheme seeks to take advantage of available renewable generation and shift part of its delivery towards the times of highest demand of the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI) , increasing operational flexibility without depending on the construction of new parks.

In this regard, the resolution explains that solar and wind power generation exhibits variability that can cause mismatches between production periods and peak consumption times.

Therefore, the awarded systems will allow for the storage of available energy and the partial transfer of its injection to other time slots, in accordance with the applicable technical and operational conditions.

Who can participate and what requirements does the tender establish?

One of the main aspects of the process is its exclusive nature for non-dispatchable renewable generation projects that are already operational , specifically photovoltaic solar and wind power plants.

Participants must be legal entities that own existing facilities and maintain long-term supply contracts in force with EDENORTE, EDESUR or EDEESTE , the three distribution companies involved in the procedure.

Furthermore, interested power plants cannot have battery storage systems at the time of the bidding process . This condition aims to incorporate the technology into projects that do not yet have it, avoiding duplication of already installed storage solutions.

According to the document, the objective is to select companies so that, if awarded the contract, they "install and integrate new SAEBs into these parks and supply the corresponding Distribution Company with the energy backed by the awarded capacity."

In terms of technical specifications, the contract covers up to 200 MW of power and 800 MWh of energy capacity, grouped into a single block . This ratio is equivalent to four hours of storage at nominal power.

However, the capacity of the batteries incorporated into each installation will have a specific limit: it cannot exceed 50% of the net nominal capacity of the associated renewable park .

This means that, for example , a solar plant with a net nominal capacity of 100 MW will not be able to incorporate, within this tender, a storage system whose power exceeds 50 MW.

Likewise, the equipment must be new and located within the existing park facilities, respecting the connection, operation and safety requirements established for its integration into the electrical system.

The resolution states that the delimitation of participants responds to the need to complement the production of power plants that already have contractual supply commitments and do not yet have storage.

Thus, the process is not open to completely new renewable projects or to installations that already incorporate batteries , but to generators that meet the planned technical and commercial conditions.

Another key aspect is the implementation schedule. The winning bidders will have a maximum of 12 months to design, acquire, install, connect, and put the storage systems into commercial operation .

The regulations also contemplate the possibility of requesting the early start of the supply once the corresponding Certificate of Start of Commercial Operation has been obtained and the conditions established in the bases have been met.

In regulatory matters, projects must comply with the technical requirements defined by Resolution SIE-178-2025-MEM , as well as with the provisions applicable to auxiliary frequency and voltage regulation services.

To this end, the SIE also refers to resolutions SIE-136-MEM-2024 and SIE-131-2026-MEM, which are part of the regulatory framework considered for the integration and operation of the new systems.

15-year contracts and economic conditions for the successful bidders

Beyond the tendered capacity, one of the central components of the call is its long-term contracting scheme , which contemplates a supply period of 180 months.

The procedure establishes that the successful bidders must sign a new supply contract backed by energy stored in batteries , independent of the agreement they currently have for renewable generation.

In this way, the obligations related to the awarded capacity, the integration of the system and the energy supplied will be established in a specific contractual instrument.

The resolution also incorporates an economic mechanism based on an offered and awarded discount that takes as a reference the energy price of the existing contract , according to the time periods and conditions established in the bases.

However, the regulator clarifies that this discount will be recognized and applied exclusively to the billing of the new contract associated with storage, without modifying the commercial conditions of the original agreement.

Consequently, the existing renewable generation contract will retain its prices and obligations , while the new instrument will regulate the additional commitments related to batteries.

The selection of projects will be carried out through a competitive procedure, in which the proposals will be evaluated according to the previously defined technical and economic requirements.

Likewise, the SIE establishes that the admissible reference costs must be determined before the opening of the economic offers, in accordance with the methodology contemplated in the bases and under validation of the regulatory body.

The approved schedule anticipates the awarding of the contract on February 25, 2027 , following the stages of call for bids, registration of interested parties, submission of proposals, evaluation and selection.

The Superintendency also granted an exceptional waiver regarding certain phases and deadlines of the schedule, with the aim of enabling the execution of the procedure within the planned timeframe.

Following the award, the selected developers must complete the implementation work and the corresponding procedures to commercially enable their facilities.

A new call to reduce restrictions and give flexibility to the system

The incorporation of batteries into existing renewable energy parks occurs in a context of growth in solar and wind power generation, which increases the need for resources capable of shifting electricity between different periods of the day.

According to data presented by Minister Joel Santos during the 11th Energy Week, Dominican solar and wind power capacity increased from 555 MW in 2020 to over 2,000 MW , while renewable sources represent approximately 26% of the energy injected into the system.

However, this expansion also poses challenges related to evacuation capacity, transmission constraints, and the matching of generation and demand.

During his presentation, Santos noted that the renewable curtailment had hovered around 14% in the first months of 2026 , with certain days when generation cuts approached 40%.

In this context, storage would allow us to take advantage of some of the electricity that may currently be limited by operational restrictions, provided that there are technical conditions to charge it and supply it later.

The measure also opens up opportunities for battery developers, manufacturers and integrators, by establishing a competitive contracting mechanism aimed at renewable energy plants that already have generation infrastructure.

The initiative is part of a broader strategy. During the 11th Energy Week, Santos also announced a future tender for between 600 and 900 MW of new renewable generation with associated storage , in addition to other processes for existing generation and firm capacity.

In parallel, the Dominican government projects having at least 800 MW of storage capacity by 2028 , according to the roadmap presented by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Therefore, the tender for 200 MW and 800 MWh is one of the measures planned to advance the incorporation of this technology and improve the management capacity of the renewable supply.