Leclanche to build largest Caribbean solar-plus-storage plant

Swiss battery maker Leclanche SA (SWX:LECN) said on Wednesday that it will build the largest solar-plus-storage facility in the Caribbean in partnership with the government of the island country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The company has teamed up with local partner Solrid to fund, own and operate a 35.6-MW solar plant coupled with a 44.2-MWh battery storage system on the island of Saint Kitts. Leclanche will be the prime engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor and will build the facilities on land in the Basseterre Valley, near the City of Basseterre and an existing power station of state-owned St Kitts Electric Company (SKELEC).

Construction work is seen to begin in mid-October and be completed in September 2020.

The electric utility has already entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output of the solar park. Leclanche noted that the electricity generated by the plant will meet between 25% and 30% of the nation’s current power generation needs.

“The cost of this project to St. Kitts and Nevis citizens is zero,” said Bryan Urban, executive vice president and head of Leclanche Stationary Business Unit.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!