Wärtsilä power plant to support reliability of electricity system and renewable capacity in the Barbados

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