Canadian Solar wins solar+storage project in Chile

Canadian Solar PV manufacturing

Canadian Solar announced it has won a 253 MWp solar plus 1,000 MWh battery energy storage project (Zaldivar Project) in Chile’s public tender held by Chile’s Energy National Commission (CNE) in July 2022.

The CNE awarded a total of 777 GWh/year of new generation backed by three different new renewable projects, of which the Zaldivar Project will account for 16 percent.

Canadian Solar said the Zaldivar Project, located in Antofagasta Region, is at mid-stage development. The solar power project is expected to start construction in 2024 and reach commercial operation in 2026.

Once in operation, part of the electricity generated by solar will be purchased by a pool of distribution companies under 15-year U.S. dollar-dominated power purchase agreements (PPAs), and the remaining will be purchased by private energy off-takers.

The Zaldivar solar project is expected to displace more than 263,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year. Additionally, the battery storage component of the Zaldivar Project will help improve the reliability and stability of Chile’s grid by providing firm capacity, ancillary services, and energy trading services.

“This solar and battery storage project awarded to Canadian Solar will reinforce our leading position in Latin America, particularly in Chile where Canadian Solar has a backlog of 600 MWp of solar projects and 2.2 GWh of battery storage projects,” Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, said in a news statement.