Battery plant set for St Catherine at US$30m

A British-Jamaican green energy consortium plans to set up a high-voltage battery manufacturing facility in St. Catherine, in what would be the first plant of its kind in the island.

Aqvastor Technologies Limited, a subsidiary of Derillion Energy Limited, announced the development of the plant at Lake Pen, St. Catherine, which will produce battery storage systems for renewable energy projects across the CARICOM region.

Such batteries power electric vehicles, scooters, and act as storage for renewable energy systems.

The investment spans two phases and set to begin this year.

“The investment is US$30 million over two stages,” said Benjamin Daley, Managing Director of Reil Energy, the Jamaican partner in the Derillion consortium, adding that the project will result in the hiring of 100 persons.

Phase One will focus on the automated assembly and testing of high-voltage batteries, targeting an annual production capacity of 200 megawatt-hours. Phase Two will expand into sodium Ion battery cell production, with a projected output of up to 500 MWh per year to supply the broader Caribbean market — a significant step at a time when regional governments are under pressure to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

A distinguishing feature of the plant’s output will be the incorporation of Derillion’s proprietary ZEROD technology, which the company says delivers a 20-year capacity performance warranty – an unusually long guarantee in a sector where battery degradation has historically been a deterrent to large-scale adoption.

“Our new High Voltage Battery Plant will help fuel the growing demand for clean energy storage and is a testament to our commitment to innovation in the green energy space,” said Simon Piggott, CEO of the Derillion Group.

The plant’s first customer will be Derillion’s own Mona Reservoir Floating Solar and Energy Storage Project – a 50-megawatt floating solar installation already under development in Kingston. That project, which will supply power to both the National Water Commission and the national grid operated by Jamaica Public Service Company, has now secured all necessary permits from NEPA and the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, along with a generating licence from the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport. “Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks,” stated the company.

The battery plant adds a manufacturing dimension to what has until now been primarily an installation-and-project-development story for Derillion in Jamaica. Piggott credited the Jamaican government, specifically the Government marketing arm, JAMPRO and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, with facilitating the approvals process. The plant would feed the CARICOM region with battery storage panels in the region, reducing the import dependency.

Source: The Gleaner