Argentina launches 700 MW national battery storage tender

Argentina’s energy secretariat has announced an international tender to install 700 MW of battery storage capacity as part of a new initiative, aiming to strengthen the main national grid across broader areas. This follows the success of last year’s AlmaGBA storage tender, which focused on critical sites in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.

The new tender falls under the AlmaSADI programme, designed to contract battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Argentina’s interior regions. The move reflects the country’s ongoing efforts to enhance grid reliability and integrate more flexible energy storage solutions.

Project Requirements

According to the tender rules, projects must be newly built storage plants that can provide the contracted power and supply energy for a minimum of four consecutive hours. Each project must offer at least 10 MW and no more than 150 MW per node.

Capacity will be distributed across selected regions of the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI) based on grid reliability needs. The regional limits are set as follows:

Buenos Aires (outside the metro area): 150 MW
Centro: 100 MW
La Pampa: 50 MW
Litoral: 220 MW
Northeast: 250 MW
Northwest: 120 MW
Cuyo: 100 MW

Tender Details

Bids cannot exceed USD 12,500 (EUR 10,678) per MW-month. The tender will be managed by CAMMESA, the wholesale electricity market operator, which will act as buyer under the storage agreements in its role as dispatch authority. Successful bidders will enter into 15-year storage contracts with CAMMESA as the counterparty.

Timeline

The target start date for the agreements is January 1, 2027, with all projects required to reach commercial operation by December 31, 2029.

This tender represents a significant step in Argentina’s energy transition, expanding the use of battery storage beyond metropolitan areas to strengthen grid reliability across the country.