FLEXIBLE GENERATION

Flexibility: How ENGIE combines Renewables and Batteries in Chile

By ENGIE - 15 February 2024 - 15:01

In northern Chile, the Group is building three battery storage systems to support Coya, Tamaya, and Capricornio solar power plants, representing a total of 1.1 GWh of daily storage capacity. These projects move the Group closer to achieving its target of installing 10 GW of battery capacity by 2030.

 

over-the-years-image

Located in the Antofagasta region in the north of the country, these three parks benefit from an abundance of sunlight, which often leads production to exceed demand. Since Chile's electrical networks are still in the developmental stages, ENGIE is stepping in to combine batteries with photovoltaic panels in order to store the surplus of electricity produced during the day and redistribute it at night when demand peaks. Leading the charge is Coya, the largest of the parks which already boasts 181 megawatts of photovoltaic panels. When the 638 MWh of batteries are commissioned in March 2024, Coya will be the largest storage system in South America.

over-the-years-image

Seventy kilometers away, 418 MWh of batteries are under construction at Tamaya to complement a 114-MW solar power plant. Their commissioning in 2025 will be followed, in the same semester, by the 264 MWh of storage capacity of the Capricornio park. Together, these two sites will help offset over 67,000 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to taking approximately 23,000 thermally-powered vehicles off the road.