Roundup: US$700mn Chile energy projects, Uruguay 380MW solar-BESS hybrid

Chile project permitting 

Three energy projects involving combined outlay of around US$700mn were among those submitted for environmental review in Chile.

The biggest is US$500mn wind park El Sauzal, which would span the Maule-Ñuble regional border. The 360MW project was submitted by Inversiones Bosquemar, which estimates construction launch in January 2029.

Company Parsosy Surya is behind the second-biggest, the US$120mn BESS Freirina storage project. Involving 100MW of batteries with five-hour injection duration, the Atacama region project is scheduled to enter the construction phase in January 2027, according to documents filed with environmental review agency SEA.

The third-biggest is the US$77mn solar PV-storage hybrid project Lolol, planned by Ciudad Luz for O’Higgins region. Work, due to start in April 2026, involves installing 69.8MW of solar PV capacity and 30MW of batteries.

FRV Uruguay 

Spanish developer FRV submitted permitting documentation in Uruguay corresponding to a solar PV-storage hybrid project.

Branded Ceibal Grande, the project is proposed for Salto department. 

FRV is seeking project classification and site environmental viability authorization, among the steps on the path to obtaining an environmental license.

Project components are a 216MW solar PV plant and a 160MW energy storage system with four-hour discharge capacity.

Ceibal Grande would connect to the grid, operated by state utility UTE.

An energy ministry study outlined new capacity needed in 2024-43. Battery technology is considered as a potential means to delay, by four years, the need to incorporate new thermoelectric generation to help mitigate the intermittency of wind and solar. 

Several renewables projects linked to planned e-fuels plant Paysandare are also in the permitting phase. 

More information on Ceibal Grande can be obtained here.