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The project includes a 120 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) and a 220 kV high voltage line with a length of 230 meters, located in the commune of Melipilla, Metropolitan region of Santiago. Chinese renewables heavyweight Sungrow has submitted an environmental impact study (EIA) to Chiles Environmental Assessment Service (SEIA) for a $157 million project, which includes a 120 MW/922.76 MWh BESS facility and a high-voltage power line in the commune of Melipilla, in the metropolitan region of Santiago. The project would occupy an area of ??approximately 2.8 hectares, with 184 storage units that will be connected to a step-up substation that will house a 125 MVA 33/220 kV high voltage transformer. It also includes the construction of a 230-meter-long, 220 kV transmission line, which would be connected to the National Electric System (SEN) through the current Nueva Melipilla substation. According to the application submitted to the SEIA, the project will be used “to store energy, mainly generated by non-conventional renewable energy sources during daylight hours, and then inject it into the national electricity grid during times of high demand.” Sungrow justified the projects location based on the availability of land with a topography suitable for BESS and the proximity and availability of a connection point to the SEN, through the existing Nueva Melipilla substation. If approved, the project is expected to begin construction in August 2026 and have a lifespan of 30 years. Sungrow’s 6.5-hour BESS in Melipilla is one of many large batteries vying to join the Chilean grid at a time when the country faces a growing problem of restrictions. According to the latest data from the Chilean Association of Renewable Energies and Storage (Acera), 3 GW of energy storage projects have been commissioned and another 15 GW are in the environmental processing phase . |
