AES Andes operates across the mountainous region, including Chile, Argentina & Colombia. Image: Stephan Bachenheimer/World Bank.
AES Andes, a utility operating in South America owned by AES Corporation, has revealed plans to convert 560MW of thermal power generation into a molten salt-based energy storage plant in Chile.
The firm has submitted documents to the website of Chile’s national Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) agency outlining the plans.
So-called Project Alba, it would see AES Andes turn its Angamos coal-fired power plant in north Chile – Central Termoeléctrica Angamos (CTA) – into an energy storage unit with 560MW of power output.
The energy storage unit would use a system of salts heated to between 310-560°C, which would then enter a water/salt heat exchanger to release the stored thermal energy, generating steam to move the…