AI and cross-border collaboration will reshape Latin America's power markets
With the BESS del Desierto storage system, Chile is on track to reach in January 2026 a storage target set for 2030. With over 60% renewables in the mix, AI and cross-border collaboration — not just more batteries — are what's missing for a 24/7 emissions-free system by 2030.
Chile’s February 2025 blackout, which cut power to 98.5% of the population, is a reminder of something fundamental: clean energy isn’t enough if we lack smart, resilient systems.
With the “BESS del Desierto” system — inaugurated in Antofagasta in April, with 200 MW of power and 800 MWh of capacity, the largest of its kind in Latin America — Chile now exceeds 1,000 MW of storage and, according to Ministry of Energy projections, will reach in January 2026 the 2 GW target set for 2030. Yet the real revolution is just beginning.
While artificial intelligence is already revolutionizing demand forecasting and asset optimization in advanced energy markets — operators in Europe and North America, for example, already use AI to fine-tune renewable dispatch, optimize large-scale battery use, and reduce operating costs — Latin America is still not leveraging one of its greatest advantages: the natural complementarity between its resources.
International experience with technologies like BESS and LDES indicates that AI and advanced analytics are now essential for managing systems with over 60% renewables. Accurate forecasting means millions in savings and greater reliability.
Storage, both short-duration (BESS) and long-duration (LDES), is key to “putting the sun in the night” and stabilizing a system increasingly vulnerable to disruptions.
Regional cross-border collaboration — like the one promoted by the RELAC initiative, with its target of 70% renewables in Latin America and the Caribbean’s power mix by 2030 — needs to be reinforced with real exchanges of energy and knowledge. The studies for the energy interconnection between northern Chile and southern Peru, carried out some years ago, brought those challenges and opportunities to light: they aimed precisely at exporting Chilean solar power during sunlight hours and importing Peruvian power at peak hours.
With grid investment estimates for Latin America reaching US$300 billion, market intelligence and cross-border collaboration are imperative. The open question for the region is whether it will build that 24/7, emissions-free energy future before 2030.