Dominica to build a US$50m battery storage system for renewable energy
A 5-megawatt/2.5 megawatt-hours battery energy storage system is slated to provide the Commonwealth of Dominica the necessary reserve power from existing sources of renewable energy in the island in times of calamities and emergencies.
This battery storage system will be connected to Dominica’s national grid, and is anticipated to encourage the use of renewable energy in the Caribbean nation by harnessing the resources from existing hydropower—and even future geothermal sources.
“The 5MW battery storage system will enable us to move more quickly to the transition from fossil fuel to renewable sources of energy in the electricity sector,” said Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
In a press release, the system is said to “stabilize the electricity grid, provide reserve power and frequency control, and provide an additional level of climate resilience, mitigating the impact of extreme weather events.”
The battery-only project is in part financed by Dominica’s government. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract that made this project possible is funded by the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF), the largest renewable energy investment of its type in the region, which is fully financed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
This is the first of its type under the CREF programme and complements existing and ongoing energy generation projects in Dominica.
One of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, is leading the design and implementation of the project.
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, “This project will support the stabilization of Dominica’s electricity grid and enable it to achieve its climate resilience goals. The people of Dominica are committed to harnessing the gifts the Earth has given to them – geothermal energy and hydro power – and moving away from fossil fuels. Masdar is committed to enabling them to achieve their clean-energy objectives and leveraging our expertise to demonstrate the critical role renewable energy plays in accelerating economic growth for communities.”
PM Skerrit also expressed his gratitude to the UAE Government. “We look forward to continued partnership with the UAE in the area of sustainable development and other areas of mutual interest both bilaterally and multilaterally,” he said.
The UAE-CREF was launched during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in 2017 as a partnership between the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), Masdar and ADFD.
The investment initiative funded clean energy projects in the Bahamas, Barbados, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which were all inaugurated in 2019.
UAE-CREF intends to deploy renewable energy projects in 16 Caribbean countries in three cycles to reduce energy costs, increase energy access, and enhance climate resilience.