Tesla in running as Puerto Rico preps 430 MW of battery energy storage

Puerto Rico is set to commission the first projects of a total 430 MW of new BESS, which will replace gas-fired power plants on the island, before October 2025.

A government document published on Nov. 8, 2024, outlined details of how the government of the unincorporated US territory plans to decommission 148 MW of legacy gas-fired generation capacity and replace it with 430 MW of BESS and 244 MW of new “peaker” plants, which will be switched on during periods of peak grid demand.

The plan to upgrade the Caribbean island’s generation fleet also involves freeing up 810 MW of capacity via repairs, following hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated the territory in 2017.

The document indicates the Genera private energy company which is operating the island’s generation fleet is in negotiations with Tesla to buy BESS equipment. The negotiation contract is set to be scrutinized by government body the Puerto Rico Public–Private Partnerships Authority and the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, in November 2024.

The public document, a monthly update by Genera on the progress of decommissioning and BESS acquisition, indicates the 52 MW of BESS project capacity planned at Cambalache is expected to be commissioned by the third quarter of 2025. Some 49 MW of BESS at Vega Baja and 30 MW at Costa Sur are expected by the end of 2025. A further 40 MW of BESS are anticipated at Yabucoa in the first three months of 2026; 158 MW, at Aguirre, should follow within three months; and the final, 101 MW BESS is expected at Palo Seco in Q3, 2026.

Genera stated it expects the submission of BESS development proposals for the Cambalache site on Nov. 21, 2024.