CATL is moving forward with its first major storage project in Argentina , with systems that will exceed 1.1 GWh of nominal capacity, in a context where the market is beginning to open new opportunities for this technology.
" We already have more than 1 GWh on the way to the country to be connected to the system this year, so this first project makes us very proud and is a huge commitment that the company is making to the country ," said Lucas Ponce, ESS Sales Representative of CATL , during his participation in FES Argentina, an event that brought together more than 600 executives from the energy sector.
The project is linked to Central Puerto , which will acquire new batteries from CATL for the Costanera (55 MW) and PA Nuevo Puerto (150 MW) power plants, awarded in 2025 during the AlmaGBA tender and which will be located in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA).
Together, these systems will provide a nominal capacity of over 1.1 GWh, making the initiative the largest battery storage development in the country to date.
Relive FES Argentina 2026: https://youtu.be/rIfbzoRGgxU
From the manufacturer's perspective, the expansion of storage in Argentina is linked to the opportunities that the wholesale electricity market operator is beginning to open up.
" As a manufacturer of BESS systems, obviously the clearest opportunity comes from CAMMESA ," Ponce said.
It is worth remembering that the Government recently launched the AlmaSADI tender to incorporate 700 MW of storage with 15-year contracts , aimed at improving the stability of the electrical system and reinforcing critical nodes in the country.
"They are a solution for nodes that are saturated, that need to implement this technology to generate stability," the executive noted.
In this context, the Argentine market is beginning to show increasing technological competition in storage solutions , in line with the contracting processes that have been developing in the sector.
"We had several proposals for AlmaGBA, but the clients rejected them at first and then came back because other suppliers came with proposals with prices that they couldn't later sustain," Ponce said.
Faced with this scenario, the manufacturer asserts that its strategy focuses on competing based on technological reliability and the sustainability of its solutions, rather than on a price race.
At the same time, the company is also seeing new opportunities associated with the hybridization of renewable projects , a phenomenon that is beginning to gain ground as the penetration of clean energy into the system increases.
"Many companies with wind power projects contacted us to start planning hybridization of wind power projects that can also have this type of solution for the system," he said.
In terms of project development, CATL seeks to position itself as a BESS systems integrator , assuming responsibility for the various components of the system to guarantee its operation and bankability.
According to Ponce, the company has positioned itself as a global leader in storage systems for nine consecutive years and aims to extend that leadership for a full decade.
"The first flag is the safety we provide in our systems, having never had an incident in more than 2,000 utility-scale installations worldwide," he noted.
Based on that global experience, the company seeks to capitalize on its technological trajectory in new markets such as Argentina , where storage is beginning to gain prominence within the energy transition.
"We're ready to run a marathon in this country; we're betting on Argentina as a completely strategic market," Ponce concluded.