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Falkland Islands Microgrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations10
System facts30
Sources reviewed9
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

The catalog record refers most accurately to Stanley's isolated electricity system, not one unified Falkland Islands grid. Stanley combines the 1.98 MW Sand Bay wind farm and three flywheel systems with legacy W.H. Allen diesels and three 2 MW Cummins interim sets. The existing hybrid system remains operational while the Falkland Islands Government develops Sand Bay Phase 3, a separate new Stanley power station, storage, and grid upgrades.

Research status
Existing Stanley wind-diesel-flywheel system operational. Sand Bay Phase 3 is procured/under development but not commissioned: three Enercon E70 turbines and an ABB grid-forming battery package were approved in 2024, and June 2026 reporting says the construction phase was deferred to January 2027 for safer weather conditions. The new Stanley power station is separately targeted for 2028.
Historical classification
Community
Reported capacity
8,580 kW
Coordinates
-51.79625, -59.52361
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Falkland Islands Microgrid?

10 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

ABB

Selected supplier of the Sand Bay Phase 3 battery energy-storage and power-conversion system [7]

Organization

British Forces South Atlantic Islands and UK Ministry of Defence

Partner and funder for the separate Mare Harbour Phase 2 project procured in parallel with Sand Bay Phase 3; Mare Harbour serves Mount Pleasant Complex, not the Stanley grid [7]

Organization

Cummins

Supplier of three 2 MW high-speed interim generator sets commissioned in 2020 [3][4]

Organization

Enercon

Supplier of the existing E-33 turbines and contracted supplier of E70 turbines for Sand Bay Phase 3 [3][7]

Organization

EPC Power

Manufacturer of the CAB1000 power-conversion platform specified within ABB's proposed Phase 3 storage solution [7]

Organization

Falkland Islands Government Public Works Department

Owner and operator of Stanley's power and wind systems [2]

Organization

Falkland Islands Government Public Works Department, Power & Electrical Section

Owner/operator of Stanley's power station, distribution network, and Sand Bay wind farm; project lead for Phase 3 and the replacement station [3][4][7]

Organization

Innoven

Selected integration specialist for the Phase 3 power-management system and communications between Enercon and ABB equipment [7]

Organization

W. H. Allen

Legacy Stanley B Power Station diesel-engine supplier [2]

Organization

W.H. Allen

Manufacturer of the legacy diesel engine fleet at Stanley B Power Station [3][4]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Wind
1980 [1]
KW Gas/Diesel
6600 [1]
Sand Bay wind farm
Six Enercon E-33 turbines at 330 kW each; 1.98 MW total [2]
Flywheel storage
Three flywheels added with the second wind phase in 2010 [2]
Legacy Stanley B diesels
Eight W. H. Allen engines ranging from 320 kW to 1.5 MW [2]
Interim diesel capacity
Three 2 MW Cummins units installed in 2020 [2]
Existing Sand Bay wind capacity
1.98 MW using the Public Works rating: six Enercon E-33 turbines at 330 kW each. A 2024 Executive Council paper restated the same six machines as 335 kW each; this appears to be a documentation-rating discrepancy, not additional turbines. [3][7]
Existing flywheel storage
Three flywheel systems commissioned with Sand Bay Phase 2 in February 2010; public current sources do not state power or energy ratings [3][4]
Legacy diesel fleet
Eight W.H. Allen engines ranging from 320 kW to 1.5 MW at Stanley B Power Station [3][4]
Interim diesel fleet
Three Cummins high-speed generator sets at 2 MW each, online since April 2020 [3][4]
Existing station and demand context
Energy Strategy reports 6.6 MW maximum existing station output and Stanley annual demand above 17 GWh [4]
Existing renewable contribution
Public Works says Sand Bay supplies just over 30% of Stanley demand on average; another current government overview rounds the share to 40%, so the operator's more qualified figure is retained [3][4]
Sand Bay Phase 3 wind
Three Enercon E70 turbines rated 2.3 MW each (6.9 MW total) approved/contracted, not yet commissioned [7][5]
Sand Bay Phase 3 battery
An early November 2023 design described 8 MWh; the March 2024 procurement comparison describes a 10 MWh ABB package. Final commissioned rating is not yet available because construction is incomplete. [6][7]
Planned new power station
Five-engine design: four 2.4 MW units plus one 1.6 MW unit, generating at 11 kV; completion targeted for 2028 and battery accommodation considered [4][8]
Sand Bay solar trial
12 kW trial array split between rooftop and ground-mounted configurations, with multi-year data collection planned before grid-scale expansion [4]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Wind turbines

Enercon — E-33

Six 330 kW machines installed in two three-turbine phases. [2]

02

Diesel generators

Cummins

Three 2 MW interim units commissioned in 2020; model not stated. [2]

03

Existing wind turbines

Enercon — E-33

Six direct-drive units installed in two three-turbine phases in 2007 and 2010 [3]

04

Existing diesel generation

W.H. Allen and Cummins

Eight aging Allen units plus three 2 MW Cummins high-speed interim sets; individual Allen models and Cummins set models were not disclosed on the current Public Works page. [3]

05

Phase 3 wind turbines

Enercon — E70

Three 2.3 MW Wind Class 1, direct-drive, full-converter turbines procured before the model's production ended; installation remains pending. [7]

06

Phase 3 battery system

ABB — eStorage Flex with EPC Power CAB1000

Approved integrated battery and modular 1 MW-block power-conversion platform supporting grid-forming, grid-following, black-start, active-power, and reactive-power modes; not yet commissioned. [7]

07

Phase 3 controls integration

Innoven

Power-management integration intended to replace an aging Windows XP-based control system and coordinate Enercon converters with the ABB battery system. [7]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Existing architecture

    Stanley uses wind and flywheels to reduce diesel dispatch on an isolated network. The flywheels damp short lags between load changes and generator response; they are fast-response stabilizers, not documented long-duration energy storage. [3][4]

  • Distribution

    The current station generates at 3.3 kV and uses four step-up transformers for 11 kV distribution. The network reaches Stanley Airport, Mount Kent, Pony's Pass Quarry, and the abattoir and includes 96 substations; the new station is planned to generate directly at 11 kV. [4]

  • Phase 3 control objective

    The ABB battery's grid-forming inverter is intended to establish voltage and frequency, black-start the island system, and emulate diesel-generator behavior while Enercon turbines operate as grid-following converters. Modeling projected renewable utilization rising from 38% to as much as 81% and captured wind penetration from 21% to as much as 86%; these are forecasts, not operating results. [7]

  • Phase 3 timeline

    Executive Council approved the full joint renewable project and sole-source Enercon, ABB, and Innoven elements in March 2024. A February 2025 delivery update said works had commenced with estimated completion in Q2 FY2026/27. June 2026 reporting states that construction at Sand Bay and Mare Harbour was deferred to January 2027 for safer seasonal conditions. [7][8][9]

  • Asset-life pressure

    Government planning documents expect Sand Bay Phase 1 turbines to reach planned end of life in 2027 and Phase 2 in 2030. Phase 3 is intended both to raise renewable supply and avoid a return to complete diesel reliance as those units retire. [4][7]

  • System disambiguation

    Stanley/Sand Bay is separate from the Mare Harbour wind farm serving the British military's Mount Pleasant Complex and from small Camp settlement systems. Capacity procured for Mare Harbour must not be added to Stanley's microgrid. [3][7]

  • Public evidence gap

    The reviewed public record does not disclose the three existing flywheels' maker, model, power, or energy capacity; final as-delivered Phase 3 battery rating; new power-station engine manufacturer/models; or a recent audited annual wind/diesel generation table. [3][4][7]

Provenance

9 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2021-04-20

  2. [2]
    Power and Electrical Services

    Falkland Islands Government · Primary source

  3. [3]
    Power and Electrical Section

    Falkland Islands Government Public Works Department · Primary source

  4. [4]
    Falkland Islands Energy Strategy

    Falkland Islands Government · Primary source

  5. [5]
    Falkland Islands Energy Strategy Implementation Plan

    Falkland Islands Government · Primary source

  6. [6]
    Executive Council Paper 168/23: Sand Bay Wind Farm Phase 3

    Falkland Islands Government Executive Council · Primary source

  7. [7]
  8. [8]
    Executive Council Paper 30/25: Islands Plan Delivery Plan Update

    Falkland Islands Government Executive Council · Primary source

  9. [9]

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