Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 4, 2024 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Energy and Public Infrastructure, under the leadership of the Honourable Konris Maynard, today officially commissioned a 6-megawatt (MW) rental power plant from global energy solutions provider, Aggreko, at the SKELEC power plant. The new plant aims to provide temporary stability to the national grid while SKELEC undertakes critical infrastructure upgrades to secure a reliable and sustainable energy supply.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Minister Maynard addressed the severe challenges currently faced by SKELEC, stating, “As we work toward that new 18-megawatt plant, plus the urgent need to service and overhaul our generators that have been overrun and are on the verge of collapse, plus the vulnerability of the aged generators and the fact that the solar farms are not intended to cover 24 hours of service, it is imperative to implement a reliable temporary supply in order for SKELEC to successfully achieve its goals.”
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The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, through the Ministry of Public Utilities, has secured USD $40 million in concessional funding from the Saudi Fund for Development to support the procurement, construction, and operation of an 18MW dual-fuel power plant, coupled with a battery energy storage system. This investment is crucial to addressing the inadequacies of the current generation capacity at the power plant.
Minister Maynard emphasised that “This new plant will not only provide a more reliable energy future but also would provide a bridge toward achieving the Sustainable Island State Agenda by coupling a clean-burning flexible generation platform with energy storage technology designed to facilitate the proliferation of distributed renewable energy resources which are to be eminently incentivized through the rollout of a feed-in tariff.”
The temporary 6MW rental power agreement with Aggreko, which spans 12 months in the first instance, will allow SKELEC to perform critical overhauls on its fixed generator fleet. This includes essential maintenance on the 25-year-old Mirrlees Blackstone MB430 6-megawatt generator, which is the largest single generator in the federation and is operating beyond its intended capacity.
Minister Maynard stressed the importance of this temporary measure, noting that “SKELEC will perform much-needed critical overhauls on the bulk of its fixed generator fleet” during this rental period.
This move underscores the Government’s commitment to ensuring energy security and fostering an energy infrastructure that can support both short-term needs and long-term sustainable growth.
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