ContourGlobal inaugurates hybrid solar PV plant in Chile with battery storage system

Paired with the on-site 231 MWp solar photovoltaics (PV) plant, the storage system enables the delivery of up to 200 MW of clean energy long after sunset, positioning it among the longest-duration utility scale BESS projects in the world and the longest-duration project currently operating in Latin America.

The inauguration took place in the presence of James Lee Stancampiano, ContourGlobal’s General Manager for South America, and Ximena Rincón González, Chile’s Minister of Energy, underscoring Chile’s role as a leading destination in Latin America for investments that support the shift from intermittent clean generation to firm, dispatchable renewable power.

ContourGlobal’s solar-plus-storage portfolio in Chile is now fully operational and includes the Victor Jara project (231 MWp solar PV combined with a 1.3 GWh battery system) and the Quillagua project, in Antofagasta (221 MWp solar PV and 1.2 GWh of storage).

The Victor Jara facility includes an innovative 15-year night-only PPA with Copec EMOAC, one of Chile’s leading renewable energy suppliers. This agreement commercially enables ContourGlobal’s ‘Sun at Night’ model by capturing solar energy during periods of low demand and dispatching it during late-afternoon peaks and night-time demand. In doing so, the project brings greater flexibility and enhanced stability to the Chilean electrical system, supporting a more efficient integration of renewable energy and optimising the use of solar generation throughout the day.

James Lee Stancampiano, ContourGlobal’s General Manager for South America, noted: “By integrating solar energy with long-duration battery storage, Chile is taking a decisive step towards a more resilient and sustainable energy matrix. The key challenge today is to move from intermittent renewable generation to a firm, reliable, and sustainable renewable supply. With this milestone, ContourGlobal reaches 850 MW in operation in the country across solar PV and storage, reinforcing our contribution to this new phase of the power system. We are proud to be part of this transformation and will continue investing in Chile, one of our most important strategic markets.”

Ximena Rincón González, Chile’s Minister of Energy, added: “The idea that the sun from the Tarapacá desert can light Chilean homes at night is not just a technical achievement – it is a powerful illustration of where we want to take Chile’s energy system. We are building a cleaner, more resilient and more inclusive power system, and energy storage is what makes that step change possible. We will continue working to position Chile as a leading destination for investment and innovation in clean energy and storage across Latin America because investing in renewables ultimately means delivering more affordable energy for people and supporting the growth of our economy.”

The broader structural shift underway in global energy systems, as renewables evolve from intermittent generation sources into providers of firm, round-the-clock clean electricity, was highlighted in recent findings from IRENA’s report ‘24/7 Renewables: The Economics of Firm Solar and Wind’. The analysis provides evidence that solar generation paired with BESS can already deliver firm clean electricity at competitive costs with new fossil fuel generation in high-resource regions.

In this context, Chile continues to position itself as a global testbed for this transformation. The country has combined rapid solar deployment in recent years with favourable conditions for large scale storage development. Consequently, Chile now leads the Latin America market on storage investments with more than 270 projects in the pipeline, representing over two-thirds of all storage projects tracked across the region, as part of an investment wave exceeding US$100 billion, according to market analysts.

This milestone further strengthens ContourGlobal’s position as a global independent power producer focused on renewables and storage with more than 3 GWh of BESS in operation, and additional stand-alone and hybrid projects advancing towards construction, reinforcing its role in the shift from standalone renewable generation to integrated solar-plus-storage platforms.

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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/28052026/contourglobal-inaugurates-hybrid-solar-pv-plant-in-chile-with-battery-storage-system/