The island of Puerto Rico has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to construct 1GW of renewable energy capacity and 500MW of battery energy storage on the island.
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) is seeking to procure renewable energy resources with a minimum generating capacity of 20MW, and 500MW of collective energy storage, at least 150MW of which will be distributed virtual power plants (VPPs). A resource that will interconnect to the distribution system cannot exceed 25MW capacity.
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The agency said in a public document that it will give preference to energy storage systems with a four-hour discharge duration, but would also consider two and six-hour durations.
Developers wishing to participate in the RFP are being asked to send their proposals by 3 May, and successful contracts are scheduled for approval in mid-October.
The territory has been forced to rebuild its energy system over the past few years after a major hurricane in 2017. Consultants from industrial group Siemens urged Puerto Rico’s utility and power regulator to scale up its solar and storage ambitions in 2019 to fortify the island’s battered power grid, suggesting a rollout of 920MW of battery storage by 2023.
Governor Ricardo Rosselló has already set out plans for the island to run on 100% renewable energy by 2050. Siemens suggested at the time that PV installations could be contracted via 250MW request-for-proposal blocks, while battery projects could be allowed to bid as standalone or in combination with PV systems.