Finnish energy storage equipment integrator Wartsila has announced that it will supply a 25-MW/25-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to Dutch Curaçao utility Aqualectra, a utility owned by the government of Curaçao.

The company has placed an order with Wartsila in the second quarter of this year. The order also includes Wartsila's GEMS energy management system. The BESS will help Aqualectra add more renewable energy to its power system and improve its grid stability.

According to Aqualectra's 2022 annual report, wind and solar energy accounted for more than 32% of Curaçao's electricity demand in that year. Wartsila plans to deliver the equipment in the first quarter of 2025 and expects it to be fully operational by the end of the second quarter of 2025.

SMM observes that in recent years, islands in the Pacific and South America, with relatively fragile energy mixes, have increasingly opted for battery storage systems in recent years to mitigate grid robustness issues that are becoming more prominent in their transition to sustainable energy.