Caribbean Utilities : CUC and Wartsila sign agreement for a 20 MW/20 MWh Battery Storage Project
September 28, 2022 at 04:36 pm EDT
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Wednesday, September 28, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CUC and Wärtsilä sign agreement for a 20 MW/20 MWh Battery Storage Project
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. (CUC) and technology group Wärtsilä have signed an agreement, which will result in Wärtsilä supplying two 10 megawatt (MW)/10 megawatt hour (MWh) energy storage systems to CUC.
This project, which will be CUC's first energy storage facility, will enable the Company to approximately double its renewable energy capacity on Grand Cayman.
The energy storage facilities will allow CUC to operate its generating facilities in a more efficient manner reducing fuel costs to electricity consumers. Additionally, the energy storage will facilitate up to a total of 29 MW of distributed customer-sited renewable energy resources without detrimental effects on its grid.
Like with many island grids, CUC's power system is isolated from other power systems and it is susceptible to unplanned changes in generation output. Until now, the network connected electricity generation sources on Grand Cayman comprised 161 MW of diesel-fueled generation and approximately 14 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation.
Vice President Customer Services & Technology, Sacha Tibbetts says, "We are pleased to work with Wärtsilä to establish our first energy storage system. This represents a crucial step for CUC to integrate more renewable energy with the grid. Once this project is completed we also anticipate savings on fuel costs and improved reliability of services for our customers."
The energy storage systems will be connected to the Hydesville (West Bay) and Prospect Substations and will provide extensive power system optimisation capabilities - from spinning reserve capacity to improved frequency response, to enhanced grid stability. This project will also result in savings on fuel costs. These savings will be passed on to the customers.
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd.
457 North Sound Road, P.O. Box 38, Grand Cayman KY1-1101, CAYMAN ISLANDS Tel: (345) 949-5200, Fax: (345) 949-5203, Website: www.cuc-cayman.com
"Energy storage has proven to be a game changer for our numerous island-based customers in the Caribbean and beyond to simultaneously lower energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy consumption, and improve grid reliability," said Jon Rodriguez, Director, Engine Power Plants, Wärtsilä Energy in North America. "Wärtsilä provides industry-leading solutions that empower islanded grid operators to optimise and modernise their energy systems, and we are happy to assist CUC along this path."
Each facility will include Wärtsilä's GridSolv Quantum, a fully integrated, modular and compact energy storage system, as well as the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, Wärtsilä's sophisticated energy management system.
The systems will be delivered under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract and are expected to become operational in late 2023.
Photo:
Caption: Edmund Phillips, Wärtsilä, and Sacha Tibbetts, CUC, signing the agreement for the first Battery Storage Project.
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Photo:
Caption: A rendering of the location of the proposed energy storage facility behind the Hydesville Substation in West Bay.
Caribbean Utilities Company Ltd. published this content on 28 September 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 28 September 2022 20:35:03 UTC.
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. is a Cayman Islands-based company engaged in generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity in its license area of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. The Company uses diesel generation to produce electricity for Grand Cayman. Its power system consists of 20 generating units, including 17 diesel engines, two gas turbines and one steam turbine with a combined capacity of approximately 166 megawatts (MW). In addition, it has four mobile units each with a capacity of about 1.5 MW. Its transmission and distribution system consists of about eight transformer substations, approximately 387 miles of overhead high-voltage (69 kilovolt and 13 kilovolt) and 53.8 miles of underground high-voltage (69 kilovolt and 13 kilovolt) T&D lines and 14 miles of high-voltage submarine cable in Grand Cayman. Its generating plant, transformer substations, office building, hurricane center, warehouse, fuel tanks and garage are all located on approximately 28.6 acres of land.