Highview Enlasa has announced its plans to develop a long duration liquid air energy storage project in Chile. This 50 MW/500 MWh (10 hours) CRYOBattery™ will be located in Diego de Almagro in the Atacama Region. It will require an estimated investment of USD $150 million.
SK Ingeniería y Construcción, a leading Chilean EPC and a subsidiary of the Sigdo Koppers group will carry out the engineering, procurement, and construction on the project. The project is currently in the pre-feasibility engineering phase. It is expected to begin environmental processing in August 2021. Meanwhile, the project construction will begin in the second half of 2023.
The Highview Enlasa is a 50/50 joint venture between Highview Power, a global leader in long duration energy storage solutions, and Energía Latina S.A.-Enlasa, the largest backup power generation provider in Chile. It is working to create baseload renewable energy potential in the Latin American energy markets.
Highview Power’s proprietary cryogenic energy storage technology utilises air liquefaction. In this process ambient air is cooled and turned to liquid at -196 °C (-320 ˚F), which is then stored at low pressure, heated, and expanded to drive a turbine which ultimately generates power. The technology can deliver pumped-hydro capabilities without geographical constraints and is equivalent in performance to thermal and nuclear power when paired with renewable energy sources such as solar.