- The partnership starts with MPCES’s participation in Leclanché’ Green Power Plant in St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, a landmark solar PV and battery energy storage project
- The Green Power Plant will provide one third of St. Kitts’ baseload needs and reduce carbon emissions by more than 740,000 metric tonnes over its lifespan
- The project is the Caribbean´s largest combined solar power and battery storage system and will integrate 35.7 MWp solar photovoltaic with 45MWh of battery energy storage system to deliver 18.2 MW baseload green power to St. Kitts
PVTIME – December 14, MPC Energy Solutions (MPCES) has partnered with Leclanché, one of the world’s leading energy storage companies, publicly listed in Switzerland (SIX: LECN), to build the previously announced 35.7 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) and 18.2 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project designed with Leclanché Energy Management Software (L-EMS) in St. Kitts’ Basseterre Valley, next to the capital city of Basseterre.
The project requires about US$ 74 million of investment and MPCES has acquired 40% ownership in the project’s holding company, in which Leclanché owns 60%. MPCES will invest up to US$ 17million.
“At COP26 in Glasgow, St. Kitts and Nevis presented a remarkable plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 61 percent by switching to 100 percent renewable energy. We in MPC Energy Solutions are happy and proud to be part of this important initiative through the development of this significant PV and battery project near the country’s capital. The project will cover one-third of St. Kitts baseload needs for the next 20-25 years while reducing the carbon dioxide emissions by more than 740,000 metric tonnes.” saidMartin Vogt, CEO at MPC Energy Solutions.
“With our ongoing mission to help the region’s transition to cleaner energies, we seek to create strong partnerships that will reinforce our position as a leader in theenergy market of Latin America and the Caribbean. Its strong technological expertise makes Leclanché a valuable partner that will undoubtedly help us do just that. This landmark project marks our entry into utility-scale hybrid projects that combine energy generation and storage. St Kitts and Nevis is one of several other countries within the Caribbean region that are committed todiversifying its generation base away from diesel-fueled thermal power, and promoting smarter, greener and more resilient approaches that improve energy generation,” addedMartin Vogt.
Leclanché has a long and successful track record of concepting and building innovative utility-scale installations including several projects with S4 Energy in The Netherlands; the Cremzow, Germany system in collaboration with Enel Green Power Germany and ENERTRAG; SWB, Germany; Marengo, Chicago, United States and several Canadian projects.
The St. Kitts project, which is being built under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract by Leclanché, has a 20-year USD-denominated Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the St. Kitts Electric Company (SKELEC), the only energy utility company on the island. The government of St. Kitts and Nevis leased the land in the Basseterre Valley to Leclanché under a 20-year agreement with the option of a five-year renewal. Groundbreaking of the project took place in December 2020.
Anil Srivastava, CEO at Leclanché, said: “We are excited to partner with MPC Energy Solutions for this landmark project in the Caribbean. This solar PV and BESS project demonstrates the ability of renewable energies to provide baseload power and competitively replace greenhouse gas emitting diesel-fuel power. The project will create material savings for SKELEC with a strong positive impact on the environment, CO2 emissions and the local communities.
We thank the government of St. Kitts and Nevis and SKELEC for their trust. Leveraging the vast experience of our partner MPCES and teamwork with SKELEC, we shall accelerate the construction and commissioning of this industry reference project – the Caribbean regions’ largest green power plant.”
The St. Kitts project has been communicated as part of MPCES’s advanced project backlog.
“This represents another step forward for MPC Energy Solutions in becoming a leading independent power producer in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a region with tremendous potential for renewable energy, and I am particularly happy to announce this first project utilizing hybrid technology. This will undoubtedly be a reference case for us and other renewable energy developers,” Martin Vogt said.
