AES Aims to Develop Hybrid RE Project in Chile with 3,100 MWh BESS

AES Chile, a producer and distributor of electricity and a subsidiary of US-based AES Corporation, is moving ahead with its plan to develop a hybrid renewable energy project that will also harbour a battery based energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 3,100 MWh. In a key development, AES Chile has submitted the EIA of the Pampas Hybrid Park that will supply the power needs to Taltal town that lies in the Antofagasta region.

The Pampas Hybrid Park project will be developed in an area of 573-hectares and will involve an investment of $800 million. The said Antofagasta region part of the Atacama Desert which is called sunniest on the planet and the renewable project is expected to exploit the solar irradiance which is available throughout the year.

RE with Storage Facility

The Pampas Hybrid Park project envisages the development of a 140 MW wind energy farm and two solar power parks totalling 252MWp. It AES will also build a lithium-ion BESS having total energy capacity of around 3,100MWh.

AES has not disclosed the technology provider for the BESS.

The power rating of the battery storage will be 623.5MW. AES mentioned in the EIA that the duration of the BESS will be up to five hours. As per the submission, the BESS will be divided into two facilities: 200MW/1,000MWh storage system for the wind farm and 423.5MW/2,100MWh storage for the solar power farms.

The battery based energy storage system which is grid-connected is at nascent stage in Chile. The country has built a little about 100 MW of such capacity. The AES plan for the battery storage is expected to give a new fillip to energy storage development. Recently, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures and oEnergy also filed EIAs for BESS projects that total approximately 500 MW.