The Chilean Environmental Assessment Commission’s approval marks a key milestone for RWE’s $300 million solar and storage project, which entered permitting in January 2024. Construction is scheduled for 2026, with commercial operation targeted for 2027.

The five-hour BESS is designed to provide stability and flexibility to Chile’s national grid. It will store vast amounts of solar energy generated in the Atacama Desert during the day and dispatch it during evening peak demand periods, a critical function for integrating renewables.

The facility will connect to the grid via a 30 km, 220 kV transmission line.

Los Durmientes marks RWE’s entry into the Chilean market and is part of a larger clean energy pipeline in the country. The company is also developing another major solar-plus-storage project, the Pita Solar Park, which is planned to include a 185 MW solar farm and a 185 MW / 925 MWh battery system.