News Americas, WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao, September. 18, 2024: The Wärtsilä technology group has been contracted again by Aqualectra, the public utility company owned by the Curaçao government, to provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction in support of the country’s decarbonisation programme. This latest order is for a new 38.4 MW power plant that will be able to provide efficient grid balancing as the level of renewable energy in the system continues to increase. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in the third quarter of 2024.
The new Salu power plant is being supplied on a full engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. Initially, the plant will provide baseload power, but will later be used in a grid-balancing role as part of the utility’s decarbonisation focus. It will be powered by four Wärtsilä 20V32 engines and will immediately become one of Aqualectra’s most fuel efficient power plants.
Earlier this year, Aqualectra placed an order with Wärtsilä for a battery energy storage system (BESS) as well as Wärtsilä’s GEMS digital energy platform. The combined system will enable the expansion of renewable energy capacities, representing an important step towards a sustainable energy future for the island.
“Aqualectra greatly appreciates the continued partnership with Wärtsilä and their availability to hold discussions, exchange and build bridges so that, on this occasion, we can once again sign an important agreement for the island and people of Curaçao,” says Ms. . Neysa Isenia, CFO. in Aqualectra.
The combination of Wärtsilä’s BESS and GEMS solutions, supported by the new power plant, will ensure grid stability and reliability, reduce outages and help mitigate the risk of outages and outages. In addition, Wärtsilä solutions will allow Aqualectra to expand their decarbonization vision by mitigating the disruption of renewables.
“We have worked closely with Aqualectra in developing their long-term roadmap,” explains Risto Paldanius, Vice President, Americas at Wärtsilä Energy. “This included a detailed analysis and modeling of their system, as well as verification of their modeling. Aqualectra’s strategic objective is to provide the community with affordable, sustainable and reliable electricity. Wärtsilä’s solutions will support all these objectives by reducing the cost of production, enabling the integration of renewable resources, while offering high reliability.”
Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment and construction of the power plant is progressing rapidly and the power plant is expected to be fully operational by Q4 2025.
Aqualectra produces and distributes water and electricity to over 80,000 households and companies on the island of Curaçao. The company is an existing and valued Wärtsilä customer with three Wärtsilä engine power plants operating a combined total of 16 Wärtsilä engines.
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Wärtsilä Energy in a nutshell
Wärtsilä Energy is at the forefront of the transition to a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers and the power sector accelerate their decarbonisation journeys through our market-leading technologies and power system expertise. Our solutions include flexible engine power plants, energy storage and optimization technology, and services for the entire life cycle of our installations. Our engines are future-proof and can run on sustainable fuels. Our track record includes 79 GW of power plant capacity, of which 18 GW is under service agreement, and over 125 energy storage systems, in 180 countries worldwide.
www.wartsila.com/energy
Wärtsilä on paper
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and life cycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasize innovation in technology and sustainable services to help our customers continuously improve environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 17,800 professionals in more than 280 locations in 79 countries are shaping the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2023, Wärtsilä’s net sales reached EUR 6.0 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com
Aqualectra
Aqualectra is the public utility company owned by the government of Curacao. It produces and distributes water and electricity to over 80,000 households and companies. Aqualectra employs 615 dedicated women and men who provide the framework for delivering quality products and services to our customers.
www.aqualectra.com
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