Chile power permitting roundup: AustriaEnergy US$600mn hybrid, Solar Ray US$100mn standalone

European clean energy developer AustriaEnergy submitted for environmental review in Chile a US$585mn project.

Branded Sol de Algarrobal and earmarked for Atacama region, the project involves installing 391MW of solar PV capacity and a 450MW/2,160MWh battery storage system.

Work is penciled in to start in 2028, according to documentation filed with environmental review agency SEA.

BESS Paicaví

Developer Solar Ray submitted for environmental review a US$90mn standalone energy storage project. 

Planned for the Santiago metropolitan region, the project – branded BESS Paicaví – involves installing 150MW/750MWh of capacity.

BESS Paicaví would be linked to a substation in the district of La Pintana.

"The storage technology that will be used in the project takes advantage of surplus energy that reaches the Mariscal substation, storing it in batteries and later injecting it back into the national electric system according to the current energy demand. For this reason, the location of the project represents a strategic point, avoiding the need for longer power lines. Additionally, the project site is located on private land with no public access," a document filed with SEA states.

Construction is due to start in July 2027.

Storage capacity state of play in Chile

Chile's energy storage capacity is growing apace, driven chiefly by plants linked to solar PV parks.

According to May data from local renewables and storage chamber Acera, 999MW/3,995MWh of storage capacity was operational, with 574MW/2,388MWh in the testing phase. Another 3.58GW/15,638MWh was in construction.

Around 14.6GW was in the environmental review phase, with roughly half standalone and the balance of capacity incorporated into renewables parks.   

Chile is on track to smash a goal of having 2GW of capacity operational or under construction in 2026.