SPIC's Atacama Energy Storage Project Enters Construction Phase in Chile, Set to Become One of the Largest Overseas Energy Storage Projects

On December 21, 2023, local time in Chile, the Atacama Energy Storage Project by Pacific Hydro, a subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC), issued a construction commencement order, marking the official entry of the project into the construction phase.

The Atacama Energy Storage Project is located within the step-up station of SPIC's Atacama and Solar 9 photovoltaic projects under construction near the city of Copiapó in northern Chile, with a capacity of 113MW/243MWh. It is planned to be connected to the grid and put into operation in late 2024, together with the photovoltaic project. Shandong Electric Power Engineering Consulting Institute Co., Ltd. and New Energy Smart Energy Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd. stood out among many suppliers with their market competitiveness, and became the EPC contractor and energy storage system supplier for this project. Once completed, the project is expected to become one of the largest commercial energy storage projects developed by Chinese companies overseas, and one of the largest electrochemical energy storage projects in South America in terms of installed capacity.