Wartsila Wins Chile Storage Contract

Wartsila will supply an 8MW (32 megawatt-hour) energy storage system for installation at a solar farm in Chile.

The energy storage system will be co-located with Colbun’s 230MW Diego de Almagro photovoltaic (PV) facility located in the Atacama region.

Colbun is one of the largest power generation companies in Chile.

It is Wartsila’s first energy storage project in South America.

The order was booked to Wartsila order intake in the third quarter of 2021 and the system is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Wartsila will supply the energy storage system on an engineering and equipment delivery (EEQ) basis.

This will be Colbun’s first system of an energy storage portfolio that will allow the power generation company to integrate additional renewable energy capacity to achieve net zero emissions.

The energy storage system will also help proactively address constraints on the transmission system from the new solar facility and allow Colbun to shift excess energy production from day to night to avoid curtailment, which also improves revenues for the company.

Additionally, the system will provide frequency response and firm capacity to ensure adequate energy supply during peak periods.

“One of the current challenges of wind and solar generation is intermittency. But by incorporating electrical storage alternatives, such as the energy storage project associated with our Diego de Almagro solar plant, we can solve for fluctuations in generation and capture the full value of renewable sources.

“By adding energy storage, Colbun seeks to provide robustness to the Chilean national electrical system,” said Christoph Perathoner, Colbun construction manager.