Spanish renewable energy company Grenergy has submitted Pampa del Desierto, a 518.7 MWp solar plant paired with 3,010 MWh of battery storage, for environmental assessment in Chile's Antofagasta region, pv magazine Latam reported. The project is planned with an investment of US$520 million.
Grenergy's Chilean subsidiary GR Flor de Loto filed a Declaration of Environmental Impact (DIA) with Chile's Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) on 29 October, and the filing was admitted for processing on 4 November.
Seven hours of storage
The plant would have a nominal output of 430 MW from 829,920 bifacial modules rated at 625 Wp each. Its battery system would match that output, at 430 MW with 3,010 MWh of capacity, enough to deliver seven hours of power at nominal rating. The storage would be housed in 632 battery containers served by 79 transformer centres.
That sizing would allow the plant to move a large share of its daytime solar generation into the evening and night, rather than exporting it only while the sun is shining.
Site and grid connection
The project would sit in the commune of María Elena, in Tocopilla province, on 850.67 hectares, of which 715.76 hectares would be used for permanent works. Power would flow through a new 33/220 kV step-up substation, Pampita, and a 21.46 km, 220 kV transmission line on 66 structures to the Kimal substation.
Construction is planned to start on 1 March 2029, subject to permits. The works would employ an average of 200 people, rising to 400 at peak, while operation would need an average of five workers and up to nine. The declared useful life is 43.2 years.
Part of a larger cluster
Pampa del Desierto is not Grenergy's only large hybrid plan in María Elena. Its Elena 2 project, with 566.58 MWp of solar and a 430 MW/3,010 MWh battery, entered environmental evaluation in February 2026.
Its Parque Fotovoltaico Antofagasta 1, with 516.92 MWp of solar and the same battery size, was presented in August 2026. That project also carries an investment of US$520 million and connects to Kimal, but through a separate substation and transmission line.
Taken together, the three filings add up to more than 1.6 GWp of solar and about 9 GWh of storage in a single commune of northern Chile.
An early step
The Declaration of Environmental Impact is the start of the approval process, not a construction decision. The project still needs its environmental approval and other permits, and the planned construction start is more than two years away.
What it means for developers
Pampa del Desierto is designed to deliver solar power well after sunset, with a battery sized to match the plant's full nominal output for seven hours. Grenergy's cluster in María Elena signals continued appetite for long-duration, solar-plus-storage plants in northern Chile, and for the equipment, grid and construction work they will need. Developers and suppliers should watch how quickly these filings move through environmental review, since that will set the timing of any orders.
Source: pv magazine Latam
