Saint Lucia plans 10 MW solar project

Electric utility company St Lucia Electricity Services is set to tender a 10 MW solar project with accompanying battery energy storage later this year.

St Lucia Electricity Services (LUCELEC) is planning to tender a 10 MW solar project in Saint Lucia.

According to a notice posted by the utility, the facility will be the island’s second utility-scale solar project.

Construction works will encompass the development of 10 MW of solar alongside a two-hour lithium-ion battery energy storage system with a capacity of approximately 13 MW, as well as connection to LUCELEC’s 66 kV transmission network. A 70-acre site on the southwest coast of the island has already been identified for the works.

LUCELEC says it is preparing a request for proposals to select an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor to implement the project. The tender is scheduled to open in the first half of September, ahead of a due date of the end of October, with the start of work targeted for the first quarter of next year.

Canadian engineering firm Hatch Ltd. has been contracted as owner’s engineer for the project.

LUCELEC says interested EPC contractors can make contact ahead of the tender to provide details of work experience but emphasizes that it does not intend to shortlist ahead of the request for proposals opening.

Saint Lucia installed 5 MW of solar by the end of 2024, up from 4 MW by the end of 2023, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The country’s first utility-sized solar site was a 3 MW array located north of Hewanorra International Airport.