Less than ten days remain for the presentation and opening of technical bids for the AlmaSADI 700 MW battery tender in Argentina, which is generating unprecedented anticipation in the private sector, with up to four times more proposals expected compared to the available capacity.
And in a context of pressure on international costs, the Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energies (CADER) assures that competition between bidders will prevent a pass-through to the final value of the proposals.
“The number of bidders will mitigate the effect of price increases due to the rise in lithium prices, oil-related transportation costs, and the end of tax refunds to Chinese suppliers,” said Marcelo Álvarez , president of CADER .
“Despite all that, the main effect will be competition and prices, at the very least, will not rise,” he added during the streaming event “It Had to Be Said and It Was Said” on Strategic Energy .
It is worth remembering that there is a financial factor that worries the industry: the contractual timing, given that VAT refunds for batteries were reduced from 9% to 6% on April 1, 2026, and will be reduced to 0% on January 1, 2027.
The price gap for the AlmaSADI tender is around USD 12,500 MW-month, so in the coming weeks we will really see what values are presented, since the call closes on May 27, the day on which the opening of technical and administrative offers will take place has been moved to May 27 ; while the economic envelopes will be known on June 24 and the award on July 8 .
And although the possibility of a further extension was considered, the Energy Secretariat confided to this news portal that, so far, it has not been accepted by the government authorities, so the dates already mentioned remain in place.
Furthermore, CADER clarifies that, unlike other calls for proposals, in this case the market had sufficient predictability to prepare projects in advance.
“While it is common to be completely exhausted and request a couple of days' extension to be able to get all the certificates and everything necessary for the bids, the extension is not indispensable,” Álvarez stated.
Regarding the post-AlmaSADI market, the president of CADER believes that storage will no longer depend primarily on national tenders and will migrate towards provincial schemes.
“I believe that storage, after this stage, will be more under provincial jurisdiction because I don't think there will be any tenders in 2027 from either CAMMESA or the Energy Secretariat. Instead, it will be the provinces that drive it, with major provincial markets like Córdoba, Mendoza, Santa Fe, and others,” the chamber president stated.
While the strategies that would drive the adoption of BESS model systems would be peak shaving and avoiding micro-cuts in the network, which "could boost industrial demand", the mining sector appears as a relevant player, especially if investments associated with the RIGI advance, "which would increase the need for electricity supply and renewable contracting".
Energy transition and distributed generation law: the strategy to attract investment
Beyond the specific business of storage, the Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energies is promoting an energy transition bill that seeks to modify the regulatory framework to accelerate private investments and improve financing conditions, considering that the interest rate for green infrastructure is "around 8% in dollars", double or more than neighboring countries like Chile.
The proposal, which has been two years in the making, aims to obtain parliamentary status this year and includes seven chapters, although the organization admits to advancing in legislative stages if necessary.
“We intend for the drafting and parliamentary debate to take place in the second half of the year, and six of the seven chapters could be independent laws if we are unable to pass the law as a whole. The ultimate goal of the transitional law, the intermediate goal of independent laws, and the minimum goal is to make the political class understand that there is an opportunity for development, employment, and business for the country,” the interviewee emphasized.
“The government can change the regulatory framework without spending a penny; it simply needs to change the NDCs, create a roadmap associated with the law, and with that, the private sector will take care of decarbonizing the energy mix because it's good business,” he added.
In parallel, CADER will this week present two studies funded by Euroclima to analyze the competitiveness of distributed renewable generation and the externalities of different energy sources in Argentina.
According to the chamber, this segment can become a driver of territorial development: “It systematically saves resources and allows for private investment to decentralize and diversify, and generates a lot of employment in the provinces and regional economies,” Álvarez concludes.
The next destination FES
The Future Energy Summit tour will continue with FES Mexico on Tuesday, May 19, where key players from the public and private sectors will address the challenges and opportunities linked to the expansion of the energy system, new investment schemes, and the execution of strategic projects.
To access the full FES 2026 tour schedule, learn more about it and be part of the meetings, the FES digital platform is available, while all events will have a live broadcast through the official Future Energy Summit YouTube channel.
For inquiries and more information, please contact info@futurenergysummit.com