Grid-connected BESS of 440 MWh to 500 MWh, which can later be expanded to 1 GWh, are to be developed by Cox in El Salvador under an agreement with the government. The investment programme, which has been estimated at $2.9 billion, also includes two solar PV plants of up to 400 MW, an LNG terminal and a combined-cycle plant.
Initial storage: 440-500 MWh
Storage ceiling: 1 GWh
Total programme: $2.9 billion
Solar plants: Two
Solar ceiling: 400 MW
Gas plant: 380 MW
Solar partner: CEL
Timeframe: Three years
Cox, a Spain-based water and energy utility, has signed an agreement with the Government of El Salvador for an investment programme of an estimated $2.9 billion, under which grid-connected BESS of up to 1 GWh are to be developed in the country. The agreement was signed at the Presidential House by Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, and by Enrique Riquelme, the Executive Chairman of Cox, and it was announced by the company on 14 October 2026.
The BESS are to be connected to the national grid, and their initial capacity has been estimated at between 440 MWh and 500 MWh. That capacity can later be expanded to 1 GWh. According to Cox, the systems are to strengthen the stability of the power system of El Salvador, and they are also to allow a greater share of renewable energy to be integrated into it.
Storage is one of the four alliances on which the agreement has been built. Under the second, two solar PV plants, with an estimated initial capacity of 200 MW that can be expanded to 400 MW, are to be developed together with the Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa (CEL), which is the state hydroelectric commission. The third alliance covers a regasification terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a combined-cycle plant of about 380 MW, while the fourth covers water and sanitation services.
In the energy projects, the State is expected to take part as a partner. Subject to the necessary approvals and to the signing of specific agreements, Cox is to structure the financing through project finance, with the participation of international financial institutions, multilateral bodies and export credit agencies. The company is also to be responsible for the development, construction, operation and maintenance of the projects.
The work is to be carried out over the next three years, and the approvals are expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The agreement forms part of a programme of the Government of El Salvador to modernise the national energy and water infrastructure of the country, and, for Cox, it follows other renewable generation and storage developments that have recently been taken up in Central America.