Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to deliver a ‘state-of-the-art’ power plant and energy storage system to the US Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA). The plant will be delivered and installed on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis. It will be unusual in that it will be capable of burning both liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and light fuel oil (LFO), while the system will include storage batteries utilising Wärtsilä’s GEMS energy management platform.
The four 32LG engines will deliver a total output of 36 MW, while the energy storage system will add a further 9 MW for up to two-hours. In addition to being Wärtsilä’s first engine/hybrid power plant sale, this will also be the first installation of the LG engines, and the company’s first engines capable of burning both LPG and LFO.
“The Wärtsilä plant will provide … additional baseload capacity to the islands’ electricity supply. It will improve the system’s reliability, while at the same time giving us additional fuel and operational flexibility that will increase fuel efficiency and lower overall operating costs. It will also reduce the dependence and environmental impact of diesel oil. The four generators are fuelled by a cleaner burning fuel which will lead to reduced air emissions and enhanced overall air quality” commented Lawrence Kupfer, CEO, USVI Water and Power Authority.
The project is scheduled to be completed and fully operational by spring 2022. Wärtsilä has previously supplied and installed a 21 MW power plant running primarily on propane gas to WAPA.
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