Spanish developer seeks environmental green light for US$185mn Chile solar PV-storage project

The Chilean unit of Spanish renewables developer Grenergy submitted a US$185mn solar PV-battery storage project for environmental review.

Dubbed Planchón, the project involves building a 91MW solar farm with an associated storage system of up to 30MW and with five-hour injection capacity.

The project is planned for Maule region and construction is scheduled to start in May 2025, according to documents filed with environmental review agency SEA.

The bulk of renewables projects entering the review system contain storage systems, which can help owners mitigate congestion-related risk and tap spot prices outside normal solar hours. 

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Argentina’s federal energy minister Flavia Royon signed an agreement with wholesale power market administrator Cammesa to recover the full production potential of 750MW Córdoba province pumped storage hydropower plant Río Grande.

The plant, built in the 1970s and the biggest of its kind in South America, is running at around half of its nameplate capacity, the federal government said in a statement, adding that investment of US$100mn is involved. 

The plant is operated by Córdoba provincial energy firm Epec. Works are expected to take five years and extend the lifespan of the plant by at least 40 years.

The future of Argentina's fleet of hydropower plants operating under concession contracts awarded to the private sector is unknown as things stand.

Officials, meanwhile, also signed 11 contracts corresponding to projects awarded to Epec in Argentina’s last renewables auction, RenMDI.

Epec won solar PV, biogas, landfill biogas and mini-hydropower projects. 

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