ContourGlobal’s Hybrid Solar-Plus-Storage Plant in Chile

Energy: Rancagua

ContourGlobal has started construction of Los Maitenes, a hybrid solar-plus-storage plant in Chile’s O’Higgins region that will pair 131 MWp of solar with a 90 MW battery to supply power day and night.

A Hybrid Plant for Chile’s Central Grid

ContourGlobal, a UK-based power generator owned by private-equity firm KKR, has begun construction of Los Maitenes, a hybrid renewable-energy plant in Chile’s O’Higgins region that combines large-scale solar generation with battery storage.

The project pairs 131 MWp of solar photovoltaic capacity with a 90 MW / 360 MWh battery energy storage system, and is expected to produce about 220 GWh of clean electricity a year. Completion is targeted for the end of 2027.

By placing the plant in O’Higgins, south of Santiago, ContourGlobal is siting generation close to one of Chile’s main centres of electricity demand rather than in the distant northern desert.

Solar by Day, Batteries by Night

The defining feature of Los Maitenes is that it is designed to supply power around the clock. Its output is backed by a long-term power purchase agreement covering both daytime and nighttime delivery, with any surplus sold into the merchant market.

The 360 MWh battery lets the plant store solar energy generated in the middle of the day and dispatch it after sunset, when demand peaks and solar output disappears. That capability is central to the project’s commercial model.

Chile has installed vast amounts of solar capacity, and midday oversupply has at times forced generators to curtail output. Pairing panels with storage is the industry’s answer, smoothing supply and capturing value that would otherwise be lost.

Where Los Maitenes Fits in O’Higgins

The O’Higgins region, whose capital is Rancagua, sits in Chile’s agricultural and mining heartland immediately south of the capital. Its proximity to Santiago’s load centre is a strategic advantage for a plant built to deliver firm, dispatchable power.

ContourGlobal says construction will employ up to 400 people at peak across the solar plant, the battery system, an electrical substation and associated works, providing a temporary boost to the local economy.

For a region better known for farming and copper, a utility-scale renewable project signals the spread of Chile’s energy transition beyond the solar-rich north into the central grid.

ContourGlobal’s Growing Chile Portfolio

Once Los Maitenes is complete, ContourGlobal’s Chilean portfolio will rise to roughly 583 MWp of solar photovoltaic capacity and 490 MW / 2.9 GWh of battery storage, more than 1 GW of combined generation and storage assets.

The company has been expanding aggressively in Chile, where it recently inaugurated what it described as Latin America’s longest-duration utility-scale battery system, with 6.5 hours of storage.

The strategy fits a wider industry shift toward hybrid plants that bundle cheap solar power with storage to offer utilities and large buyers reliable, low-carbon electricity.

Why Storage Matters for Chile’s Energy Transition

Chile aims to decarbonise its power system and phase out coal, and batteries are increasingly seen as the missing link that makes a solar-heavy grid stable. Storage lets the country use more of the clean energy it already generates.

Long-duration systems like the one at Los Maitenes are particularly valuable because they can shift solar energy across the evening peak, reducing reliance on gas- or coal-fired backup.

If the model proves out, hybrid solar-plus-storage projects near demand centres could become the template for the next phase of Chile’s renewable build-out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is ContourGlobal building its new hybrid plant in Chile?

The Los Maitenes project is in Chile’s O’Higgins region, south of Santiago, close to one of the country’s main electricity-demand centres.

How big is the Los Maitenes solar-plus-storage plant?

It combines 131 MWp of solar PV with a 90 MW / 360 MWh battery system and is expected to generate about 220 GWh a year, with completion due by the end of 2027.

Why pair solar with batteries?

The battery stores midday solar output and releases it after sunset, letting the plant supply power day and night and avoid curtailment when solar generation exceeds demand.

Sources: Renewable Watch; Diario Financiero; ContourGlobal.

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