Argentina Bets on BESS to Shield Cities from Power Outages

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Written by Amir Richani for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Argentina's government launches its second BESS tender to build up to 700 MW of electricity storage capacity to combat power outages. Investments in these systems could amount to US$700 million, which will be distributed across key nodes.

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Argentina's government has launched its second tender for battery energy storage systems (BESS), aiming to add up to 700 megawatts (MW) of backup at critical electrical nodes to reduce the risk of power outages. This represents a US$700 million investment across the Argentine interconnected system (SADI).

The tender involves the construction of BESS projects ranging from 10 MW up to 150 MW of capacity distributed across several key nodes with specific capacities capped by region:

• Northeast Argentina: 250 MW
• Northwest Argentina: 120 MW
• Litoral: 220 MW
• Centro: 100 MW
• Cuyo: 100 MW
• Buenos Aires (excluding Greater Buenos Aires): 150 MW
• La Pampa: 50 MW

Companies have until May to submit offers, with contracts expected by June. Agreements would last up to 15 years, with contract start dates of January 1, 2027, and contractual commercial operations beginning before December 31, 2029.

CAMMESA, the company managing Argentina's electricity dispatch, will manage the tender.

The government aims to strengthen the national electric grid amid recurring power outages in key areas. In January, several areas of Buenos Aires lost power due to system overloads, high temperatures, and increased demand, affecting hundreds of thousands, reportedly.

This is not an isolated event. In December, outages left thousands without power, and local media reported additional outages in February.

"This new call for bids is another step in the plan that the National Government has been carrying out since 2024 to alleviate the electrical system, reduce interruptions and ensure that users have an increasingly better service, after two decades in which the necessary investments were not made to keep up with the growth in demand and modernize the infrastructure," said the government in a statement.

In 2025, the government launched the first BESS tender and awarded 713 MW of storage capacity, over 40% of the expected capacity, worth US$540 million in investments.

BESS stores electric power, usually from solar and wind, for backup, grid stability, or demand management. Industrial Info is tracking 15 battery-storage projects in Argentina, worth US$788 million. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can view a full list of project reports.

Electric Power Capacity

According to the energy ministry, the SADI had an installed capacity of 43,839 MW by September last year. Meanwhile, according to CAMMESA, renewable energy capacity in the South American country amounts to 17.620 MW, led by hydro at 10,141 MW, followed by wind and solar at 4,559 MW and 2,583 MW, respectively.

Overall, IIR is tracking 311 renewable energy projects across the South American nation, worth US$28.7 billion. Of those, 65 have a high probability of execution, followed by 59 with a medium probability.

Key Takeaways

• Argentina launches a tender for 700 MW of BESS capacity to address power outages.
• This marks the country's first BESS tender.
• Projects must be commissioned by 2027 and start commercial operations by 2029.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).

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