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X-Elio Enters BESS Market With Chilean Solar Project & More From Mytilineos, Canadian Solar

Anu Bhambhani

X-Elio will install its 1st BESS project in Chile for 58 MW solar plant; Enel Generación Chile enters a 10-year solar PPA with Mytilineos; Canadian Solar will sell 738 MW solar capacity to SPIC Brasil.

X-Elio forays into BESS segment: Spanish renewable energy company X-Elio will install its 1st battery energy storage system (BESS) project in its 58 MW Uribe Solar PV Plant in Chile's Antofagasta region. The solar plant will turn into a hybrid project with the installation of 5 MWh BESS system provided by TotalEnergies' subsidiary Saft. X-Elio said this will serve as a model run for the company as it aims to grow this portfolio of projects to exceed 1 GWh by the end of 2022.

Solar PPA for Mytilineos in Chile: Greece's Mytilineos through its Renewables and Storage Development (RSD) Business Unit has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Enel Generación Chile to supply up to 1.1 TWh of solar power. This solar power supply will come from 4 solar projects with 588 MW combined capacity. One of the 4 projects is under construction and the other 3 are in their final stages of development and will enter construction during 2022. According to Mytilineos, 109 MW capacity is located in Arica-Parinacota, 228 MW in Antofagasta, 165 MW in Atacama and 86 MW in Coquimbo.

Canadian Solar offloads stake in Brazilian projects: Canadian Solar is to sell 70% stake in its 738 MW solar projects in Brazil to SPIC Brasil. This is the 1st solar investment in Brazil for the local subsidiary of Chinese power generator SPIC. This includes 446 MW Marangatu project in Piauí, 292 MW Panati-Sitiá facility in Ceará, both of which are at an advanced stage of development. Construction on these facilities is scheduled to begin in late 2022 while commercial operations are due in late 2023. Canadian Solar says on completion, these 2 projects are expected to be 2 of the largest solar power plants in the country. Around 75% of their expected generation capacity is contracted under long term power purchase agreements (PPA) with remaining to be sold in the free market. With this sale, Canadian Solar counts its monetized utility scale solar capacity in Brazil to have reached 2.3 GW. It now plans to further sell 1.6 GW here.