The national government has announced the results of the Alma-GBA tender for battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. A total capacity of 667 MW has been awarded, exceeding the initial target of 500 MW by 30 per cent due to the high interest from private sector players as well as the competitiveness of the bids received.
The Alma-GBA tender represents Argentina’s first large-scale storage initiative using BESS to strengthen grid reliability and forms part of the contingency plan introduced in 2024 to upgrade electricity infrastructure. The awarded projects will sign contracts with distributors Edenor (7 projects) and Edesur (3 projects), with the Wholesale Electricity Market Administration Company (CAMMESA) acting as the final payment guarantor. The total planned investment for these projects is expected to exceed $540 million. The projects are expected to be operational within 12 to 18 months.
A total of 15 companies submitted 27 projects amounting to a capacity of 1,347 MW. The contracted prices range from USD10,161/MW-month to USD12,815/MW-month. Furthermore, the Energy Secretariat invited five qualified projects, totaling 222 MW, that were not selected to sign contracts at USD12,591/MW-month.
REGlobal’s Views: About 40 per cent of the national electricity load is concentrated in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. These BESS projects are expected to be operational in a year or so, and then they will help in power demand and supply management, and reduce power supply shortages. The BESS market in Argentina is becoming quite competitive and the discovered bid prices in this tender were much lower than the ceiling price of USD15,000/MW-month set in this tender.
