Ovalle, Chile, June 11, 2026 (Lusa) - Portuguese electricity company EDP has commenced operations at the Punta de Talca battery storage complex in northern Chile, an investment of US$44 million (around €38 million).
The facility is connected to the company's wind farm in Ovalle and is designed to reduce renewable energy losses and increase the flexibility of the Chilean electricity grid.
With an installed capacity of 240 MWh and a power output of 60 MW for four hours, the system has been connected to the 83 MW Punta de Talca wind farm, which began operations in 2024.
According to the company, the complex will be able to store, on average, 60 gigawatt-hours per year and help supply more than 30,000 homes in the region.
The total investment in the wind farm and the battery system exceeds US$160 million (€138.4 million).
During a visit by journalists to the site, EDP’s chief executive for South America, João Brito Martins, stated that the project represents an important step in the company’s strategy to include storage and renewable generation.
As he described, this is the company’s first project worldwide to combine a wind farm with a battery storage system, although the group already has similar experience with solar energy in the United States.
“Obviously, the project itself has a significant economic impact, and an important impact on the Chilean grid as well,” he said.
He also noted that the group already operates around 550 megawatts of battery storage, mainly in the United States, with this being the first facility of its kind in South America.
As he explained, the company took advantage of Chilean legislation that gave EDP a competitive edge by having batteries connected to the wind farm.
“We understand that the batteries have a systemic effect and, therefore, it makes perfect sense for us to build this hybrid wind-battery farm here in Chile,” he emphasised.
The decision to link the batteries to the wind farm stems, as he described, from the need to address the phenomenon of "curtailment" – when there is a mandatory cut in renewable generation due to grid or market constraints – and to take advantage of price differences throughout the day.
According to EDP’s technical staff, the farm experiences periods when energy is produced at very low prices or even close to zero, a situation in which the batteries allow electricity to be stored for later injection into the grid at times of greater economic value.
The project’s financial model aims to virtually eliminate both physical curtailment and the sale of energy at zero prices.
This is expected to begin in November, when the trial period ends and the commercial phase begins.
The infrastructure operates as a hybrid system, using the same substation and transmission line as the wind farm.
The substation’s evacuation capacity is 90 megawatts, whilst the farm has 83 megawatts installed, with the battery being used as a supplement without exceeding this limit.
There are 14 wind turbines – each with a generation capacity of 5.9 megawatts – spread across an area of 54 hectares facing the Pacific Ocean The company also has projects under development in other regions of Chile, including initiatives combining wind, solar and storage, but makes new investments conditional on market conditions and the financial viability of the projects.
Portugal’s ambassador to Chile, Helena Bicho, who attended the inauguration of the battery farm, told Lusa that EDP’s project demonstrates Portuguese companies’ commitment to innovation and sustainability.
“For me, it was very useful to learn what a battery farm is – the system for storing energy in batteries – which is indeed a key factor for the success of the energy transition in the future,” she said.
MYMA/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
