AES Andes inaugurates 510 MW solar-plus-storage complex in Chile

AES Andes officially inaugurated the Andes Solar Hub, a photovoltaic generation and battery storage complex located in the Atacama Desert with a combined capacity of 692 MW of solar power and 510 MW of storage. The ceremony took place on August 13 and marks the culmination of a process that began a decade ago with the commissioning of Andes Solar I.

The inauguration does not imply the addition of new capacity to the National Electric System (SEN). The current configuration of the complex was completed in April with the start of commercial operation of Andes Solar III, a 171 MW photovoltaic hybrid plant accompanied by a 171 MW BESS system with a three-hour lifespan, equivalent to 513 MWh. With this addition, AES Andes reported that the Hub reached its current capacity of 692 MW of photovoltaics and 510 MW of storage.

Andes Solar III began commercial operation in April of this year. Technical data available from the National Electric Coordinator indicates a nominal power of 171 MW for the photovoltaic plant and 171.3 MW / 513 MWh for the battery system.

The Hub is located in the Antofagasta region, at approximately 2,800 meters above sea level, and its development has accumulated an investment of over US$1.3 billion. The complex is also linked to the Andes Substation, a transmission node in the north of the country connected to InterAndes, the electrical interconnection between Chile and Argentina.

One of the details now provided by the Ministry of National Assets is that the facilities occupy 1,181 hectares of state-owned land, granted through six lucrative concessions. The Minister of National Assets, Catalina Parot, participated in the inauguration and highlighted the use of state assets to enable investments in energy infrastructure.

The development of the Hub has been carried out in stages. In July 2023, Andes Solar IIb, a 180 MW photovoltaic plant, began operations, along with a 112 MW, five-hour lithium-ion battery storage system supplied by Fluence. The facility also includes 10 MW of Maverick technology , developed by the Australian company 5B using prefabricated modular photovoltaic structures. Testing of this technology at Andes Solar was reported in 2020.

In October 2024, Andes Solar IV, with approximately 211 MW of photovoltaic capacity, was added, along with a 130 MW / 650 MWh BESS. According to documentation from the National Electric Coordinator, the plant is composed of 388,584 Longi modules of 540 W and 545 W and 54 GPTech inverters.

The last expansion was Andes Solar III, mentioned earlier.

The Ministry of National Assets indicates that there are currently 243 active concessions in Chile, 97.5% of which are concentrated in the northern macrozone. About 65% of the revenue generated through these concessions is transferred to regional governments.

According to the same ministry, Chile has 27,100 MW of installed renewable capacity, of which 9,595 MW are located on state-owned land. The ministry also plans to auction approximately 32 new state-owned properties in the Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions for investment projects, with the bidding process originally scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.