Key takeaways:
Ampace’s Chile project uses an ESS integrated with a high-voltage transformer station to mitigate grid instability linked to seismic activity
The company reports a reduction of about 80% in power outages, supporting 200,000 residents in the Andes region
The system is stated to lower coal-fired power demand and reduce grid-related costs
Xiamen Ampace Technology Limited, a China-based company, focuses on energy storage systems (ESS), micro electric vehicles, and power batteries. Its energy storage project in Chile has been nominated as one of the finalists of The smarter E AWARD 2025 under the Outstanding Projects category.
This energy storage project, powered by a local renewable energy source, is integrated with a high-voltage transformer station. It is designed to address unstable grid power in the area, which is affected by earthquakes that cause fluctuations in the grid. According to the company, about 80% of these fluctuations, which result in power outages, have been reduced, providing a relatively stable electricity supply to around 200,000 inhabitants of the Andes region.
The project is expected to lower the demand for coal-fired power generation by about 12 GW annually. In addition, it supports peak shaving of electricity demand, contributing to cost reductions, which according to Ampace is about 30% or around $1.2 million per year in grid overheads.
The region’s high seismic activity presents a major challenge for the project. The company applies fatigue damage simulation techniques to predict and optimize resilience against smaller seismic events, and claims this approach limits performance deterioration to less than 10% over the system’s lifetime.