Leclanche inks PPA for largest Caribbean solar-plus-storage park

Swiss energy storage solutions provider Leclanche SA (SWX:LECN) has sealed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output of a 35.7-MW solar park with an integrated battery in Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean.

The 25-year PPA was signed by Leclanche’s subsidiary Solec Power Ltd and state-owned St. Kitts Electricity Company Ltd (SKELEC). The contracted project will create the largest solar-plus-storage complex in the Caribbean, the Swiss developer said on Monday.

The photovoltaic (PV) farm will be installed in Basseterre, the capital of the island nation, and will be coupled with a 43.6-MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage facility. Building activities are due to commence in the second quarter of next year, with power supplies to SKELEC to be launched in 2025.

Thanks to the project, Saint Kitts and Nevis will achieve an over 30% penetration of renewables, with the generated solar power expected to meet between 30% and 35% of the country’s annual power demand. In the first year of operation, the PV plant is seen to produce around 62,000 MWh of electricity, or enough to supply 15,000 people.

Over the PPA term, the project is estimated to provide SKELEC with savings of between USD 170 million (EUR 157.1m) and USD 200 million.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.924)

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