Chile Has 38 Energy Storage Systems Under Construction, Totaling 4.597 GW

 

 

 

 

According to the *Report on Construction and Investment Projects in the Energy Sector* for March 2026-published by Chile's Ministry of Energy-the country's operational installed capacity reached 38.193 GW in March, with 51% derived from non-conventional renewable energy sources. Regarding energy storage, operational capacity reached 4.597 GW; additionally, there are 38 energy storage systems currently under construction, with a total capacity of 4.597 GW / 18.780 GWh and an investment value of US$4.076 billion. Another 13 systems are currently in the testing phase, with a capacity of 2.119 GW / 9.708 GWh.

 

Two new energy storage projects commenced operations in March: BESS Víctor Jara, located in the Tarapacá Region, with a capacity of 200 MW / 1 GWh; and BESS PFV Andes III – Etapa I, located in the Antofagasta Region, with a capacity of 171 MW / 514 MWh. There are 53 power generation projects currently under construction, totaling 3.325 GW in capacity and representing an investment of US$4.605 billion. Among these, solar thermal technology accounts for 69% of the capacity (2.294 GW) and 51% of the investment (US$2.34 billion), followed closely by wind power (793 MW, US$1.561 billion). The largest projects currently under construction are the PFV + BESS Cristales project in Antofagasta (400 MW of PV paired with 340 MW / 1.36 GWh of storage) and the Pampas Hybrid Project (348 MW of generation paired with 340 MW / 1.36 GWh of storage); both are being developed by AES Andes.

 

Chile's Ministry of Energy stated that the 2 GW energy storage target originally set for 2030 was achieved ahead of schedule on March 31, 2026. Furthermore, taking into account the projects currently under construction, the 6 GW target set for 2050 is expected to be reached by the end of 2026 or early 2027. Within the environmental assessment system, the month of March saw a total of 141 energy projects with an aggregate investment of US$51.664 billion. These included 105 power generation projects (13.123 GW; US$19.691 billion), 21 standalone energy storage projects (4.625 GW / 23.493 GWh; US$4.666 billion), 13 power transmission projects (63 km; US$307 million), and two green hydrogen projects located in the Magellan Region (US$27 billion). Regarding national and regional transmission systems, there are currently 47 projects under construction, adding 2,096 kilometers of new transmission lines with an investment of US$3.041 billion; the largest of these is the 500 kV HVDC Kimal–Lo Aguirre transmission line (1,342 km; US$2 billion).