ContourGlobal, an energy developer under US private equity giant KKR, recently announced that its Quillagua solar energy storage plant located in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile has officially commenced operations. This hybrid power station, equipped with 221 MW photovoltaic modules and a 200 MW/1.2 GWh energy storage system, has set a record for the largest project of its kind in Latin America.
It is reported that the project has signed a long-term power purchase agreement and is about to enter the commercial operation stage. The power station is located in the city of Maria Elena on the edge of the Atacama Desert, with unique lighting conditions that allow for an annual equivalent utilization time of over 1800 hours. The technical director of ContourGlobal revealed that the addition of energy storage systems can effectively mitigate the volatility of photovoltaic power generation and increase the grid consumption rate to over 95%.
It is worth noting that the developer also acquired the V í ctor Jara project in the Tarapaca region from Spanish company Grenergy during the same period. The power station is designed to have an installed capacity of 231 megawatts of photovoltaic power with 1.3 gigawatt hours of energy storage. The current construction progress is three months ahead of the original plan, and it is expected to achieve full capacity grid connection within the year. After the completion of the two projects, the total annual power generation can reach 1.3 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to the annual electricity demand of 600000 households in central Chile.
The Chilean Minister of Energy commented that such large-scale solar storage projects will strongly support the country's goal of achieving 70% renewable energy supply by 2030. Industry analysts point out that with the acceleration of localized development of lithium resources, the economic viability of energy storage projects in Chile is expected to further improve, and it is expected to attract over $5 billion in related investments in the next five years.
