Grenada opens early market engagement for national BESS procurement

Grenada in the Caribbean has initiated early market engagement for a national‑scale battery energy storage system (BESS), with a two-part plan to install a 10.6 MW / 21.2 MWh battery at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA), the country’s central airport located just south of the capital, St. George’s.

The new procurement for the design, supply and installation package is being issued by the Government of Grenada on behalf of Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. (GRENLEC), the national utility that will ultimately host and operate the system. A separate contract will also be tendered for two years of operation and maintenance support.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) issued the early market engagement invitation as part of the Grenada Energy Resilience Project, signaling that government and development partners are now shaping technical specifications ahead of a full tender. The project implementation period is expected to be “approximately 20 months, covering procurement, design, installation, and commissioning phases,” said the CDB.

Two separate procurement processes are expected to be implemented in phases according to the CDB with the first slated for Q2-Q3 2026, where GRENLEC “plans to launch an initial procurement process for the supply of a portion of the BESS system, approximately 5.5 MW /10 MWh.”

Following that procurement, World Bank financing will account for the remaining BESS capacity of 5.1 MW / 11.2 MWh.

The CDB-led component of the MBIA BESS is financed through a package comprising a loan of up to US$5.7 million, and approximately US$3 million in grant funding, supported by Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Details of the World Bank component have not been publicly disclosed at the time of writing.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mike Sylvester, outlined the government’s focus on sustainable energy.

“This project represents a major investment in Grenada’s energy future. It will strengthen grid stability, support renewable energy expansion, and advance our national commitment to building a resilient and sustainable economy,” Sylvester said.

The international airport in Grenada is also the home of a 15.1 MWp solar installation making its way through plans for construction in 2026-27.