Wartsila wins bid for 25MWh battery energy storage project in Curacao, Netherlands

Finnish energy storage equipment integrator Wartsila announced that it will supply a 25-MW/25-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to Aqualectra, a utility company in the Dutch island of Curaçao. Aqualectra is a government-owned utility company in Curacao. The company has placed an order with Wartsila in the second quarter of this year, and the order also includes Wartsila's GEMS energy management system. BESS will help Aqualectra add more renewable energy to the power system and improve its grid stability. According to Aqualectra's 2022 annual report, wind and solar energy accounted for more than 32% of Curacao's electricity demand that year. Wartsila plans to deliver the equipment in the first quarter of 2025, and BESS is expected to be fully operational by the end of the second quarter of 2025. SMM has observed that in recent years, the Pacific and South American islands with relatively fragile energy structures are increasingly choosing battery energy storage systems to alleviate grid robustness issues that have become increasingly prominent in their transformation to sustainable energy.