Transelec, Copec to build 105-MW BESS to boost Chilean solar farm

Chilean power transmission infrastructure operator Transelec said that it has partnered with energy firm Copec on the development of a 105-MW battery energy storage system (BESS), with a plan to co-locate it with an existing solar farm in the Tarapaca region, northern Chile.

That solar farm is the 123-MWp Granja Solar plant, which Copec acquired from its bankrupt owner in April this year.

The partners' first large-scale BESS project will be realised under a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) contract. Transelec said its duties will be to operate and manage the batteries for 20 years, before transferring them to Copec at the end of the term.

The BESS will have a storage capacity of 420 MWh. It will be integrated into the solar farm's substation via a 33-kV transmission line and then use an existing 220 kV-line to the Lagunas substation owned by Transelec.

The batteries are set to go online in the first quarter of 2026. Copec’s retailer Copec Emoac, which markets the power generated by Granja Solar, will also sell the stored electricity from the BESS, Transelec said.

The batteries will store Granja Solar’s daytime output and inject that power at night, helping Chile address its high renewables curtailment rate, which has increased by a whopping 225% since 2021, according to Transelec.

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