Note: This article is currently AI-generated placeholder text. Actual content coming soon after the public release.
The Bahía Blanca — Gran Buenos Aires 500kV corridor consistently operates above 80% thermal capacity during peak demand windows (14:00–21:00 ART), creating a systemic bottleneck that constrains Patagonian wind evacuation. This analysis maps the weekly congestion pattern using 15-minute resolution CAMMESA dispatch data from the past 90 days.
FIG 01 // Schematic map context for the Comahue–GBA transmission corridor (illustrative).
Source: NetZero AR
Key Takeaways
- 1.
The Bahía Blanca — Gran Buenos Aires 500kV corridor consistently operates above 80% thermal capacity during peak demand.
- 2.
Without the fourth 500kV circuit, an estimated 1,200 MW of new wind capacity will face curtailment.
- 3.
Weekend patterns show significant relief (35-40% drop in congestion).
Temporal Signatures
The heatmap to the right reveals a clear temporal signature: weekday evenings (Tuesday–Thursday, 18:00–21:00) represent the highest-risk windows, where transmission utilization regularly exceeds 90%. During these periods, marginal wind curtailment in the Rawson and Puerto Madryn clusters averages 180–240 MW, displaced by thermal peakers in the GBA ring.
Weekend patterns show significant relief — Saturday and Sunday congestion drops by 35–40%, allowing near-complete wind throughput. This dichotomy underscores the demand-driven nature of the constraint: the wires themselves have adequate capacity for base-load transfer, but the coincidence of industrial demand and residential evening peaks creates the critical thermal loading.
SADI transmission limits are the primary bottleneck for Patagonia's 2026 expansion. New lines are required.
Projected Generation vs Transmission Limits
As more wind farms are commissioned in the South, the congestion window is widening.
Addressing this will require more than just generation capacity; it demands immediate capital injection into the high-voltage transmission backbones. Only by building the fourth 500kV circuit can we prevent massive stranded assets in Patagonia.