daily · Grid & Storage

Wärtsilä signs Aruba 35 MW battery agreement, with handover planned for 2028

The October 13 agreement pairs a 35 MW, 70 MWh battery with energy-management and maintenance services. The order was booked in Q3; the system is not operating capacity or a verified household saving.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 13, 2026 · Updated 10/13/2026

Wärtsilä announced an agreement with WEB Aruba on October 13, 2026, covering a 35-megawatt, 70-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system and controls for the island's power generation assets. The release describes engineering, procurement and construction work alongside a services agreement. It does not say the new battery is already operating.

The supplier says it booked the order in the third quarter of 2026 and schedules final taking over for the second quarter of 2028. The booking period, public announcement and planned handover are separate milestones. The announcement does not give a contract price.

The battery's 35 MW figure describes power capacity, while 70 MWh describes stored energy. Those figures are not annual electricity generation or a measured reduction in fuel consumption. Wärtsilä calls it its largest Caribbean storage project at the time of the announcement, in both power and energy capacity.

The company's energy management system will combine the new storage with WEB Aruba's existing generating assets. The release identifies forecasting, secondary and tertiary control and dispatch optimization as parts of that system. WEB says its current generation includes wind, solar and engine power plants.

The services agreement includes storage maintenance and an as-a-service energy-management model. Wärtsilä says the arrangement allows regular configuration and model updates and access to technical support. Those are described service functions, not evidence that every reliability or cost target has already been achieved.

Limits: the companies expect the project to improve grid flexibility, renewable integration and the cost of delivering electricity. The release does not quantify household bill savings, avoided emissions or measured operating performance from the planned battery. A signed agreement and an order booking should not be confused with commissioning or verified consumer benefits.

Official source: news.cision.com ↗