Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has opened a commercial and technical office in Argentina to expand its presence in the energy storage market. The company is supplying equipment for two projects developed by Central Puerto, totaling 205 MW of power and 1,025 MWh of storage capacity, and is seeking further contracts linked to battery tenders and electricity demand from large industrial consumers.
CATL presented its strategy in Buenos Aires last week through Ray See, its president for the Americas; Harry Lau, general manager for Latin America; and Lucas Ponce, who leads its Argentine operations. The new office has staff specializing in sales, engineering and project management to support the installation and operation of the company’s systems.
The first projects are the 150 MW/750 MWh Nuevo Puerto facility and the 55 MW/275 MWh Central Costanera facility, both awarded to Central Puerto under Argentina’s AlmaGBA program. They will use CATL lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and have five hours of storage duration. Nuevo Puerto has a 15-year supply contract with electricity distributor Edenor, while Central Costanera will provide services to Edesur.
According to CATL, construction of Nuevo Puerto is nearly 80% complete. Central Puerto expects to commission one project before the end of 2026 and the other in January 2027. Central Puerto CEO Fernando Bonnet said the batteries have been installed, but commissioning depends on the arrival of transformers from China, which have been delayed in transit.
CATL’s entry coincides with the development of Argentina’s utility-scale storage market. The AlmaGBA program awarded 713 MW of battery capacity to strengthen electricity networks in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The government subsequently awarded another 700.5 MW through the AlmaSADI tender, covering 20 projects at critical nodes in the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI), with an estimated investment of $700 million.
CATL also has commercial relationships with Edison Energía, Newsan and Rowing. Ponce said the company has submitted proposals to businesses participating in AlmaSADI, although discussions remain at an early stage. Beyond grid-connected storage, CATL sees opportunities in mining, data centers and renewable energy facilities. The technologies it is proposing for these sectors include sodium-ion batteries, which the company says offer operational advantages at low temperatures.
CATL says it has more than 15 GWh of awarded energy storage projects across Latin America. Globally, its cumulative shipments of energy storage batteries exceeded 330 GWh by June 2026. The company plans to develop its Argentine business through agreements with local companies and technology supply, and has not announced any specific investment in domestic battery manufacturing.
From pv magazine LatAm
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