Grenergy Files $520 Million Solar-Plus-Storage Project in Chile’s Antofagasta Region

Grenergy subsidiary Solar Antofagasta filed the Environmental Impact Declaration with Chile’s SEIA system for the project located in María Elena commune, Tocopilla province. The facility will deploy 820,512 modules of 630 Wp each across 834.58 hectares, generating 516.92 MWp of installed capacity with 430 MW nominal output. The accompanying battery energy storage system will provide 430 MW power capacity and approximately 3,010 MWh energy capacity, enabling seven-hour discharge duration to shift solar generation from midday production to evening demand peaks.

The environmental documentation specifies $250 million allocated to the photovoltaic plant, transmission line and substation infrastructure, with an additional $270 million directed to the battery system. Earlier reports attributed $593 million to the overall project, though the official filing itemizes the lower combined figure. Construction phase will span 20 months with peak workforce reaching 400 personnel and averaging 200, while operational staffing will range from five to nine employees depending on maintenance schedules.

Power evacuation infrastructure includes a new 33/220 kV Salitre substation and a 20.7-kilometer high-voltage transmission line connecting to the existing third-party Kimal 220 kV substation for grid injection. The line will incorporate 59 structures including two line frames and 57 lattice towers. The facility’s design life extends 40 years through February 2070, with an 18-month decommissioning phase planned thereafter.

Rodrigo Hernández, Grenergy’s project development director in Chile, serves as company representative for the initiative. The project reflects Chile’s regulatory shift toward utility-scale solar-plus-storage configurations in the northern desert region following 2024 policy changes establishing stable capacity payments through 2034. Chile curtailed 6.2 TWh of solar generation in 2025, representing 6.9 percent of total system output, driving storage deployment to address transmission constraints pending completion of a 1,000-kilometer HVDC line planned for the early 2030s.

Grenergy operates six constructed projects in Chile and manages a portfolio totaling 3.25 GW solar capacity and 14.5 GWh storage. The company inaugurated the Elena battery facility in Antofagasta region in June 2026, described as Latin America’s largest storage installation at 3.5 GWh capacity. Grenergy projects an additional $2 billion investment in Chile through 2028, with its Santiago office coordinating regional operations spanning Peru, Colombia and Mexico.