Historic Milestone for AES Andes: Latin America’s Largest Solar Battery Storage System Goes into Operation

July 25, 2023

AES Andes today announced the commercial operation of Andes Solar IIb, marking a new step in the implementation of its Greentegra strategy.  The new plant will have a capacity of 180 MW of solar panels and a 112 MW battery storage system, the largest in Latin America.

Located 230 kilometers east of Antofagasta, in the middle of the Atacama Desert, Andes IIB features a state-of-the-art renewable energy technology. It has a capacity of 112 MW for 5 hours of energy, based on lithium batteries, making it the largest energy storage system in Latin America. This technology allows solar energy to be stored during the day and injected into the system at night during peak demand hours, and is one of the most innovative and necessary solutions to alleviate transmission congestion in the national electricity system.

In addition to the 170 MW of bifacial PV panels, Andes Solar IIb also included the development of a 10 MW pilot project using 5B's innovative Maverick technology. These prefabricated, modular structures allow panels to be installed in one-third the time and on half the footprint of conventional solar systems.

“At AES, we can no longer imagine an energy future that is not 100% carbon-free. That is why we are proud that our Company’s transition to renewable energy continues hand-in-hand with our customers, who are always part of this transformation. Together with our employees and communities, we continue to bring innovative solutions to the market to accelerate the responsible transformation of Chile’s electricity system. With Andes Solar IIB, we have reached a total of 50% of our installed capacity based on renewable technologies,” said Javier Dib, CEO of AES Andes.

The CEO added that the Andes Solar IIb battery bank “represents a great contribution and a solution to mitigate the problems of congestion in the transmission lines and the subsequent curtailment of renewable energy, which is why we will continue to grow with new projects of this type that we already have in execution. In this way, we want to contribute to a more efficient system and to the use of resources that allow us to reduce emissions in the generation of electricity.”

With the commissioning of Andes Solar IIb, the Company will operate 429 MW of solar power in the Antofagasta region. Next year, Andes Solar IV will be added, with 238 MW of photovoltaic power and 147 MW of batteries with a 5-hour storage capacity, a project that is currently more than 80% complete.

In June, the Company also announced the acquisition of the Bolero Solar Park (146 MW), located near the town of Sierra Gorda in the Atacama Desert, where it also plans to install a new battery storage system to improve the efficiency of the system and take advantage of solar energy by reducing its dumping margin.

 

About AES Andes

AES Andes generates and sells power in Chile, Colombia and Argentina. The Company operates 5,637 MW in South America, and has a broad portfolio of renewable energy projects under development. The Company is one of the region's leading generators, with a diversified portfolio that includes hydro, wind, solar, energy storage, biomass, natural gas and coal plants.

In Chile, AES Andes and its subsidiaries own and operate 3,865 MW of generation capacity, including 2,129 MW of thermal, 771 MW of hydro, 348 MW of wind, 429 MW of solar, 13 MW of biomass and 174 MW of battery storage, as well as desalination plants and transmission lines.