In 2019, The Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) announced that for large scale solar to be offered on Grand Cayman, there would be a competitive bid process for utility scale solar. CUC is prepared to compete to be the most cost effective, skilled and efficient solar provider for Grand Cayman. CUC has drafted and looked at multiple different designs for solar power plants that will best suit the needs of Cayman. CUC has also looked at storage options for overnight use and has aligned with global best practices for the deployment of solar on a large scale.
CUC participated in the Request for Qualification (RFQ) process but the official Request for Proposal (RFP) process has not yet begun. CUC, however, is fully ready to submit its bid for a large-scale utility solar farm. The conversion to solar energy will allow for less dependency on fossil fuels, be better for the environment and will significantly lower consumers utility bills.
At CUC, we know that renewable energy is the right thing to do and we believe we can lead the transition. We have been serving the people of Grand Cayman for 57 years with safe, reliable energy and now more importantly we want to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to the community
The Company is committed to ‘Greening the Grid’, reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring that it brings more renewable energy to Grand Cayman. ‘ GREENINGTHEGRID ’
CUC has set a goal of ensuring that the grid is 70% renewable energy by 2037. This, of course, is no small feat. Converting the grid to have less dependency on
fossil fuels requires complex infrastructure upgrades which carry a heavy cost, mostly offset by the fuel savings if done correctly.
All changes and costs require regulatory approval, CUC is committed to this future because the Company and its employees know this is the right thing to do.
The Company has begun to transform its business model to enable solar energy to become a main component of its energy grid. CORE + DER
Through the Customer Owned Renewable Energy Programme (CORE) and Distributed Energy Resource Programme (DER), large scale and individual customers can have solar energy and still be supported by the grid.
In 2023, the Company signed an agreement with the technology group Wärtsilä to supply two 10 megawatt (MW) Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). These systems will be the first large-scale energy storage facility on the Island and will allow the Company to double its renewable energy capacity on Grand Cayman. The energy storage facilities will allow CUC to operate its generating facilities in a more efficient manner and will reduce fuel costs for customers. Additionally, the energy storage will facilitate up to 29 MW of distributed customer-site renewable energy resources without detrimental effects on the grid.
Proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Hydesville Substation in West Bay
Diesel to Liquid Natural Gas (LNG)
At the end of 2024, CUC will also convert five of its 18 diesel
generating units to run on Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). This is another
step to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. Liquid Natural Gas will
lower emissions, provide better air quality and will lower the cost of
fuel so that customer costs are lowered.