Cox wins $126 million contract for batteries and generation in Guatemala

Cox Group, the Spanish water and energy company, won a long-term electricity supply tender in Guatemala on 10 August 2026, with contracted revenues of around $126.5 million over 15 years. The project combines 76 MW of generation and 27 MW of battery energy storage (BESS).

The award brings Central America into the wave of battery storage already taking hold in Brazil, Chile and Puerto Rico: small power systems with high intermittent renewable penetration that are adding BESS to hold the grid together at peak hours. According to El Economista, the contract fits within the long-term procurement processes that Guatemalan distributors are pushing to secure supply for millions of users. For these grids, storage operates as firm capacity: energy saved and injected when demand exceeds available generation. The concession covers 15 years of commercial operation and an estimated additional 15 years of useful life.

The complex will produce around 113.3 GWh a year under contract and leave a surplus of 42.6 GWh annually for the local wholesale market, additional revenue the company estimates at around $70 million over the project's life, according to Europa Press. The facility will inject the stored energy during periods of peak demand. The award adds to the two photovoltaic plants Cox is building in Guatemala under the PEG4 tender, in Zacapa and Chiquimulilla, with 130 MWp installed and commercial operation scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. Martín Sucre, Cox's regional head for Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Ecuador, said the operation "reinforces the company's growth strategy" in Hispanic America, according to Infobae, and highlighted the role of storage in the stability and flexibility of power systems.

The point to watch is the start-up of Cox's first block in Guatemala: the solar plants from the PEG4 tender, scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, and the commissioning calendar for the storage system, which will determine how much of the contracted energy is actually dispatched at peak hours.

This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.