Pioneering Chile energy storage tender launched

Chile’s biggest and first energy trading platform – Plataforma Energía – launched a trailblazing energy storage tender.

Bids are sought for the installation of an energy storage system, for an industrial client, under the direct investment, co-investment and storage-as-a-service model, constituting the first process of its kind in the world.

The tender, BNamericas was told, got underway on Monday, with bids and associated guarantees due by January 27. 

The presentation of technical proposals is scheduled for February 3-4, with the process due to conclude February 12.

Further details are due to be announced this week.

Demand is growing in Chile’s industrial sector for clean energy 24 hours a day, with a driver being corporate carbon-reduction goals. Another is financial, since batteries can be charged during daylight hours when electricity prices tend to be lower and discharged during non-solar hours, when prices climb.

In a separate energy storage transaction, Atlas Renewable Energy was this year awarded a contract to build a 200MW/800MWh standalone battery storage system, BESS del Desierto, for industrial group Copec via its energy trading unit Emoac. 

As of November, 54MW/16MWh of standalone battery storage capacity was operating in Chile, with 361MW/970MWh in the construction phase, 1.23GW holding an environmental license and 2.39GW in the environmental evaluation phase, according to data from renewables and storage chamber Acera.

Overall, 764MW/2,860MWh of storage capacity – all battery – was operating, 296MW/1,090MWh was in the testing phase, 1.99GW/7,920MWh was under construction, 5.71GW held an environmental license and 9.32GW was in the environmental evaluation phase. 

Interested parties can register here