Image: Celso Costa/Unsplash

On February 18, the Secretariat of Energy under Argentina's Ministry of Economy launched the AlmaGBA energy storage tender, aiming to deploy 500MW/2000MWh (4-hour duration) projects in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) with a total investment of approximately USD 500 million. The projects are required to be completed within 12-18 months.

Recently, Argentina's Wholesale Electricity Market Administrator (CAMMESA) released a contract template disclosing further details to guide participating companies in the bidding process. 

The template specifies that the contracts will have a maximum operational term of 15 years, calculated from the commercial authorization date of the BESS or January 1, 2027, whichever occurs first.

A fixed payment of $10/MWh will be received for electricity supplied under the contract with energy storage capacity rewarded with a maximum $15,000/MW/month. CAMMESA will act as guarantor for payments, for up to one year, in the event of non-payment by electricity distributors Edenor and Edesur.

Eligible BESS for the tender must be new and must supply power for at least four consecutive hours per full discharge cycle. Projects must be sized between 10 MW and either 150 MW or as required by specific grid connection points, whichever is lower.

The tender’s organizers expect submission of bids to take place on June 10, with bid evaluation in the first half of July, and awards within a week of the evaluation. The signing of contracts is set to start on July 28.