AES Andes has started testing the battery energy storage system at its Cristales project in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile.
The BESS has a power output of 340 MW and four hours of duration, equivalent to 1,360 MWh of storage capacity. During this stage, the company is verifying the operation of the equipment, control systems, and safety devices at the facility.
AES Andes also said commissioning of the PV plant that forms part of the complex will begin soon. In its latest corporate information, the company lists Cristales’ solar capacity at 287-288 MW, while Chile’s Energy Ministry reports list the project in the testing phase with 400 MW of PV capacity.
The latest Energy Sector Construction and Investment Projects Report, published in July, already included the Cristales BESS among systems undergoing testing. At 340 MW / 1,360 MWh, it was the second-largest system in the portfolio by power output, behind Grenergy’s 430 MW / 3,010 MWh Elena Phase I BESS.
The project has undergone changes from its original configuration. When it was submitted for environmental assessment in 2023, it comprised 379 MW of PV capacity and a BESS of up to 542 MW with five hours of duration.
In April 2024, the project received environmental approval. The authorized configuration included up to 340 MW of solar capacity and 542 MW of storage with five hours of duration, as well as the Cristales substation and a 220 kV transmission line. The planned investment at the time was $710 million.
In August 2025, AES Andes announced the start of construction of Cristales and the Pampas project. For Cristales, the company announced a configuration of 288 MW of PV capacity and 340 MW of storage. The two projects represented a combined investment of more than $1.1 billion.
From pv magazine LatAm
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