Technology group Wärtsilä will supply an engineering, procurement, and construction  extension project to an existing power plant on the Caribbean Island of Aruba. This will add an additional 36 MW of generating capacity, thereby mitigating possible supply shortages due to rapidly increasing demand. Currently Wärtsilä provides 194 MW of generating capacity to Aruba with 4 Engine House power installations. When completed, Wärtsilä’s share of the island’s power generation capacity will be 230 MW, representing 85 percent of the 268 MW total.

The order has been placed by WEB Aruba N.V, the island’s sole water and energy production company. It was booked by Wärtsilä in Q4 2024. The scope includes installation of two Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines and auxiliaries. Furthermore, based on past experiences, additional features have been designed to optimise overall plant reliability, and to limit existing engine downtime during construction of the extension.

“This is an important and challenging project that is urgently needed to meet the increasing demand for electricity due to the considerable increase of temperature, growth in tourism, resort construction, and residential housing. Wärtsilä’s track record in delivering efficient and reliable power generation is outstanding, and we are delighted to again have them as a partner for this latest project,” says Alfredo A. Koolman, CEO at WEB Aruba.

The Wärtsilä engines are scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of 2025, and the project is expected to be commissioned and fully operational by mid-2026. In carrying out the expansion of the existing plant, existing radiator fields and auxiliaries will need to be relocated as there is limited space in which to install the two additional engines.

“This is our fifth EPC project on Aruba, and we are excited to continue our collaboration of already more than 28 years with WEB Aruba,” comments Jon Rodriguez, Energy Business Director, at Wärtsilä Energy. “There is no better endorsement of customer satisfaction than repeat orders, and this latest contract highlights our ability to execute challenging projects. Furthermore, by opting for Wärtsilä engines, WEB Aruba is making it possible to integrate increased volumes of energy from wind and solar, since the fast-starting capability of the engines provide efficient grid balancing to compensate for supply fluctuations from the renewables.”

The contract signing ceremony was held on November 8, 2024 in the presence of the President of the Aruba Parliament, as well as several other members of Parliament and WEB Aruba’s CEO, Alfredo Koolman.