The “ AlmaSADI ” battery tender became one of the most competitive processes in the recent history of the Argentine electricity sector, with 235 BESS projects for 8335.9 MW being announced , competing for up to 700 MW of awardable capacity.
This data not only confirms the interest in storage, but also allows us to identify who is behind many of the companies listed in the tender documents. Beyond the companies that participated through their main entity, several bids were submitted through fictitious names, subsidiaries, or specific corporate vehicles.
Behind names like Luz de Tres Picos, Vientos La Genoveva, Luz del Sol, Energética del Norte, Virtual Gasnet International, Gaucho Energy or Unitec Bio are some of the most important business groups in the country.
One of the most distinguishable cases is that of PCR , a company with activity in renewables, oil and gas that often uses the signature of its subsidiary, Luz de Tres Picos, to present itself in projects of the sector, so that it already did so in the Term Market (MATER) and that, on this occasion, repeated the action with 22 projects for 645 MW .
Something similar happened with Central Puerto . The country's largest private electricity generator distributed its bids between its main company and Vientos La Genoveva , reaching 17 initiatives for 1220 MW , leading the ranking by capacity offered.
YPF Luz also opted for a similar strategy. The company participated with its own bids and through Luz del Sol , reaching a total of six projects for 600 MW , a volume that places it among the largest bidders in AlmaSADI.
Another name that appears behind different companies is Grupo Neuss , an Argentine business conglomerate with more than 120 years of history, which is participating in the tender with 11 BESS systems for 210 MW, through Alma Energía and Energética del Norte, the latter linked to Edison Energía, the holding company created last year by brothers Juan and Patricio Neuss , in association with Rubén Cherñajovsky and Luis Galli, leaders of the Newsan group, one of the largest electronics manufacturers in Tierra del Fuego.
The bidding process also marked the arrival of economic groups traditionally associated with other sectors, such as Socma , the flagship holding company of the Macri family, which is owned by Virtual Gasnet International , for which it submitted four projects for 160 MW .
Meanwhile, Corporación América , the conglomerate led by Eduardo Eurnekian and one of the largest private airport operators, appeared as Unitec Bio , with a proposal of 15 MW .
Even the mining sector linked its interest to storage. Marhem Lithium , a company involved in lithium project development, bid under Gaucho Energy , submitting two projects totaling 40 MW .
And the list of discovered fictitious names is completed with Ambiente y Energía , which accumulated 9 proposals for 261 MW through Sixa Energy; the Frali Group (signatory of PE Vientos del Sur - 1 BESS x 50 MW) and Rovella, who submitted 2 bids x 20 MW under the Punta Generación list.
Beyond these cases, the bulk of the bids were concentrated in companies that participated directly with their corporate brand.
Among them, MSU Green Energy , the renewable energy arm of the MSU Group, stands out, topping the ranking in terms of the number of projects submitted, along with Secco. The company presented 27 BESS projects totaling 921.9 MW , making it the second largest bidder by capacity in the entire tender.
Meanwhile, SECCO, historically linked to thermal generation and the provision of energy solutions for productive sectors, aggressively returned to the bidding process after what it did in RenMDI, this time with 27 offers for 740 MW.
Also noteworthy is the participation of Genneia, Argentina's largest renewable energy generator - and now also one of the shareholders of the country's largest electricity transmission company (Transener), with 15 projects totaling 659 MW.
Coral Energía , part of the Corven Group and aiming for 1 GW by 2030, entered the competition with 14 projects totaling 486.45 MW . Meanwhile, DQD, the recently launched generation and trading arm of Argentina's largest EPC contractor, submitted 14 power plants with a combined capacity of 297 MW .
Among the group of actors with a strong presence are also Teslacom , with 10 projects for 467.5 MW ; Aluar , with 11 initiatives for 333 MW ; Sullair , which presented 7 initiatives for 238 MW ; Windearth , with 7 plants for 188 MW ; 360Energy , with 6 BESS for 162 MW ; and EPEC , with 5 proposals for 160 MW .
Among the participants with the fewest bids are BAESA (Buenos Aires Energía), with 4 projects for 110 MW; AES Argentina , with 56 MW; Frontera Energy, with 60 MW; Pampa Energía , with 35 MW; CAPEX , with 35 MW; as well as EveryRay - Alupar , Alemar , SoEnergy , Distec Energy, Intermepro , EPSE and FECOCUYO .
The technical and administrative evaluation, conducted by CAMMESA and the Ministry of Energy, will now begin. The schedule anticipates the publication of the results on June 16 , while the opening of the financial bids will take place on June 24 .
The award is scheduled for July 8th and, according to industry estimates, this first stage would mobilize around $700 million in investments.
Beyond the final results, AlmaSADI has already reached a first conclusion: the energy storage business has managed to attract everyone from the country's main generators to industrial groups, investment holdings and companies linked to lithium, creating one of the most competitive processes that the Argentine electricity sector has seen in recent years.