AES Gener breaks ground on Chile’s first solar plus storage project

AES Gener has broken ground on the 180MW Andes Solar II-B solar project in Chile, which will incorporate a 112MW/560MWh battery storage system.

The Chilean electric utility has also marked the start of construction on the 73MW Campo Lindo wind farm in the Latin American country.

According to AES Gener, the Andes Solar facility, which is being built in the Antofagasta Region, will be the first solar plus storage project in Chile.

It will also become the largest lithium battery storage system (BESS) in the Latin American region.

The 112MW BESS will employ Fluence’s sixth generation solution, which will enable energy to be stored for five hours for injecting the energy produced by the sun’s rays even after sunset. This approach is expected to make the energy supply of AES Gener more competitive and resilient.

On the other hand, the Campo Lindo wind farm is being built in the Biobío Region, near Los Ángeles. It will be the first of various wind farms to be built there to form a 480MW cluster.

Ricardo Falú – AES Gener CEO said: “Both projects are a fundamental piece of our Greentegra strategy, with which we are accelerating the energy transition process that the country has initiated towards a more competitive and sustainable electricity matrix.”

Virtual groundbreaking ceremony of AES Gener’ solar plus storage project. Photo courtesy of AES Gener.