From ESS News

Argentina’s Energy Secretariat has formally awarded the AlmaSADI battery energy storage tender, selecting 20 projects totaling 700.5 MW across critical nodes of the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI). The awards were confirmed through Resolution 155/2026, concluding the tender launched in March to add battery storage outside the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.

The 700.5 MW of awarded capacity is spread across 20 projects developed by five companies. Genneia secured seven projects, DQD Energy eight, 360 Energy Solar three, Aluar one and Intermepro one. According to the government, the first phase represents an estimated investment of $700 million.

The projects are distributed across seven regions: Buenos Aires province (185 MW), Northwest Argentina (150 MW), Chaco-Formosa in the Northeast (161.5 MW), Misiones-Corrientes in the Northeast (50 MW), Entre Ríos (50 MW), Santa Fe (36 MW) and the Pampa region (68 MW).

The awards follow a tender process that attracted strong private-sector interest. On May 27, Argentina’s wholesale electricity market administrator, CAMMESA, received 235 technical bids totaling 8,338 MW, more than 11 times the tender’s 700 MW target. Following the technical evaluation and the opening of financial bids on June 24, CAMMESA prepared the preliminary award report that formed the basis for the final awards.

The AlmaSADI tender was launched in March to deploy battery energy storage systems at strategic grid nodes across the Northwest, Northeast, Central, Litoral, Cuyo and Buenos Aires regions, excluding the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. In a later stage of the process, CAMMESA qualified 232 bids and authorized the opening of financial proposals.

The program follows AlmaGBA, Argentina’s first large-scale battery storage tender, which targeted critical grid nodes in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. That procurement awarded 713 MW, exceeding its original 500 MW target after two additional contracts totaling 46 MW were added to the initial 667 MW allocation.

According to the Energy Secretariat, the battery systems will respond rapidly to changes in electricity demand, provide dispatch flexibility and add operating reserves to improve grid reliability. The storage assets are intended to reduce the likelihood of outages and improve electricity service quality in regions facing transmission constraints or requiring additional network reinforcement.

AlmaSADI forms part of the national government’s program, launched in 2024, to relieve constraints across Argentina’s electricity system and address transmission and operational bottlenecks within SADI. Following the awards, the selected developers will proceed toward signing the corresponding storage agreements with CAMMESA.