In September 2022, Engie Chile disconnected the last coal-fired unit from the Tocopila thermal complex (CTT). However, the site will now have a new power source.
“We are proud to announce that the old coal and fuel oil-fired thermal power plants will now be built, and BESS Tocopilla will be built.”
“The 660 MWh storage system, with an installed capacity of 116 MW, comes to fulfill one of our commitments when we started the decarbonization process together with a just transition plan: to maintain our presence in the municipality and give it a new life complex,” commented Rosalyn Corinthian, CEO. ENGIE Chile.
Image 1 – Rosalyn Corinthian CEO of ENGIE Chile.
With 240 containers based on lithium-ion batteries, BESS Tocopilla will have an average annual generation of 211 GWh, which This is equivalent to the consumption savings of approximately 89,900 homes in Chile.
In addition, it will contribute significantly to reducing CO2 emissions, by replacing thermal generation during peak hours, avoiding the emission of 51,231 tons of CO2 equivalent annually.
This project demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, as well as providing flexibility and security to the national electricity system.
“One of our goals specifically is for the energy transition of which we are part to be safe and stable, which is linked to working with all participants in this process,” explained Gabriel Marcos, ENGIE’s General Manager for Flexible Generation and Retail.
“BESS Tocopilla is an action within our just transition plan, contributing to the development of the municipality and giving the site a new use.”
“In this way, we will continue to work and work for the growth of Tocopilla, our collaborators and the people of Tocopilla,” he added.
BESS Tocopilla is in the engineering phase and construction is scheduled to begin in June 2024.
Progress in BESS
Currently, the company has two storage systems in operation: BESS Coya (139 MW/638 MWh), the initiative with the largest capacity in Latin America; and BESS Arica, which served as a pilot project.
Added to this are BESS Tamaya (68 MW/418 MWh) and BESS Capricornio (48 MW/264 MWh), both located in the Antofagasta region and currently under construction.
BESS Tocopilla is the fifth project based on ENGIE’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Chile and is the first large-scale pure or standalone storage system.
Unlike systems that directly store energy generated by renewable energy parks, this type of technology operates independently and is directly connected to the transmission grid.
To charge and discharge batteries.
Once BESS’s existing ENGIE portfolio is operational, there will be an installed capacity of 371 MW/2 GWh.
