Wärtsilä Corporation, Press release, 23 January 2020 at 9 am EET
The technology group Wärtsilä has won the contract to supply a 33 MW flexible power plant on a fast-track basis to the Barbados Light & Power Company Limited (BLPC), the utility company on the Caribbean island of Barbados. The power plant will be supplied as an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) project. The project will bolster reliability of the Barbados electricity system and integration of renewables into it. The order was booked with Wärtsilä in December 2019.
The Wärtsilä power plant is to be constructed at a site adjacent to BLPC’s 10 MW PV solar plant at Trents, St. Lucy, located on the northwestern coast of Barbados. When completed, the new power plant will provide much needed additional generating capacity and provide BLPC with the fast starting capability and flexibility needed in order to add more renewable generation to the island’s system.
The new power plant will operate on four highly efficient Wärtsilä 32 engines running on liquid fuel.
“We are really pleased that we have been able to reach this milestone in this project and with the full understanding and support of the Government of Barbados. This power plant, called Clean Energy Bridge, will bring stability to our generation capacity. It allows us to retire older engines, and reduce fuel costs while supporting the transition to using 100 % renewables. Once that target is achieved, we believe that the power plant will be necessary as back-up for resiliency purposes,” said Roger Blackman, Managing Director of Barbados Light & Power Company Limited.
“With this project Wärtsilä enters the market in Barbados, and it represents a significant milestone for us. We are honored to be selected as EPC contractor for this project, and this choice by BLPC is yet another proof of the project management capabilities Wärtsilä is acknowledged for. We look forward to working closely with BLPC to complete this project on time,” commented Mikael Backman, Energy Business Director, Americas North, Wärtsilä Energy Business.
The Wärtsilä plant is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2020. The project will increase Wärtsilä’s installed base in the Caribbean to 3186 MW.
Read more: Wärtsilä energy solutions for utilities
Wärtsilä Energy Business in brief
Wärtsilä Energy leads the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers unlock the value of the energy transition by optimising their energy systems and future-proofing their assets. Our offering comprises flexible power plants, energy management systems, and storage, as well as lifecycle services that enable increased efficiency and guaranteed performance. Wärtsilä has 72 GW of installed power plant capacity in 180 countries around the world.
https://www.wartsila.com/energy/
Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2018, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com
