US$1bn in Chilean energy projects submitted for environmental review

Chile’s environmental review agency SEA received a flurry of energy projects for processing involving combined investments of around US$1bn.

Among the biggest are solar PV-storage hybrids Triqueta and Casas Viejas Solar, planned for Valparaíso region and resubmitted after the SEA last month said it would not process them, citing information gaps.

With a price tag of US$385mn, Triqueta involves building solar PV capacity of 156MW and a five-hour duration battery storage system of up to 80MW. Project owner Grenergy plans to break ground in October 2025.

Requiring US$116mn and planned by Spain’s Uriel Renovables, Casas Viejas Solar involves a 161MW solar park and a battery storage system due to enter the construction phase in October 2025.

Among other projects seeking the green light is the 108MW Lampa solar-storage hybrid plant, involving US$160mn and planned for the Santiago Metropolitan region by Interpro. Construction is penciled in to start in March 2025.

Meanwhile, Sphera Energy is planning 160MW solar-storage hybrid La Mocha Solar for Ñuble region. With a price tag of US$160mn, construction of the park is due to start in March 2026.

In related news, the SEA accepted for processing the US$830mn e-fuels project Cabo Negro and US$240mn solar-storage hybrid Don Carlos.

In a context of high levels of curtailment and the prospect of growing demand for grid services from storage systems, the bulk of utility-scale solar and wind projects entering the environmental review system have storage components. 

According to data from renewables and storage chamber Acera, 13.2GW of clean energy and storage capacity was in the environmental review phase in September. Non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) plants accounted for 7.18GW, standalone storage systems 617MW, and NCRE-storage hybrids 5.36GW. Around 6.76GW was in the construction phase in September, with solar projects representing around two thirds of capacity.

Reform bills to speed up project permitting have been announced but not yet submitted to congress.