COP26: Chile to double battery energy storage by 2023

Energy company AES Andes is to add 188MW of battery energy storage capacity to Chile’s National Electric System by 2023.

Added to the current storage under development totalling 175MW, the capacity should double to over 360MW by 2023.

This will allow the storage and delivery of up to 1,563MWh per day of energy to the system, with the avoidance of more than 200,000t of CO2 emissions per year.

Making the announcement at COP26, Minister of Energy Juan Carlos Jobet pointed to the need for flexibility as the key to the massive integration of solar and wind generation.

Under the country’s energy plan at least 2,000MW of storage is required to be in place by 2030.

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“It is a great step, since it is in complete harmony with what we have proposed in our National Energy Policy,” said Jobet.

“At this COP26 we have urgently addressed making the goals we have as a planet a reality, and with this specific announcement we are moving in that direction.”

AES Andes – formerly AES Gener and a subsidiary of multinational AES Corporation – is currently constructing Chile’s first solar + storage project comprised of a 112MW/560MWh lithium-ion storage system alongside the 180MW Andes Solar II-B installation in the Antofagasta region in the country’s north.

The storage system utilises the sixth-generation technology solution from Fluence, the AES and Siemens jv formed in 2018.

Ricardo Falú, CEO of AES Andes, indicated that the new storage announcement represents an investment for Chile of more than US$400 million in battery systems integrated to renewable initiatives.

Green hydrogen advances

In addition to the agreement with AES Andes, at COP26 Minister Jobet also inked agreements with the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge to promote green hydrogen production and the establishment of a ‘corridor’ for the delivery of green hydrogen and its derivatives between Chile and Belgium and into Europe.

The parties intend to exchange knowledge, experiences and other information to continue exploring the possibilities of cooperation.

These agreements follow similar agreements earlier in the year with the Port of Rotterdam and Singapore and reflect Chile’s ambition to become a major exporter and leader globally in the supply of green hydrogen and derivatives such as ammonia and other synfuels.