Spanish independent power producer Grenergy has announced 105 BYD batteries have arrived at the Chilean port of Iquique to complete the first phase of the Oasis de Atacama solar and storage project.
The Chipol Guangan cargo ship, arriving from Dachan, China, has docked after a 42-day journey with 105 containers on board, containing 1,050 MC Cube ESS modules with a total storage capacity of 0.6 GWh, Grenergy says.
This shipment of batteries is part of the strategic agreement signed in January of this year with BYD, a high-tech multinational, for the supply of 1.1 GWh of large-scale storage through 2,136 Blade modules of its MC Cube ESS model.
The Oasis de Atacama project is set to have a total storage capacity of 11 GWh alongside 2 GW of photovoltaic generation. It is structured in seven phases that will produce around 5.5 TWh of energy annually.
Grenergy reports that the batteries corresponding to the third phase of the project, which are part of an extension to the agreement with BYD, are currently being manufactured and are expected to arrive at the construction site during the first half of 2025.
Last October, a strategic agreement was signed with CATL to provide batteries for phase four of the project (1.25 GWh).
Grenergy has already agreed to sell energy from the first four phases and the rest is in an advanced stage of negotiation, the company says, with new agreements expected to be reached in the coming months.
The project, with a global investment of $2.3 billion, began construction in November 2023. The first phase is scheduled to be connected by the end of 2024 and the new phases to be completed in 2025.
