Martinique Mayor Calls For Dialogue Amid Escalating Violence

News Americas, New York, NY, September 18, 2024: The Mayor of Fort-de-France, Didier Laguerre, has called for urgent dialogue and consultation in response to escalating urban violence affecting parts of the Martinique city. In a press release and at a press conference held today, Mayor Laguerre expressed his deep concern over the unrest, emphasizing that action must be taken “in the best interests of the Martinicans.”

An image taken from an AFP video released on September 17, 2024 shows a car burning in a street of Fort-de-France in the French Caribbean island of Martinique following a night of riots amid protests over the high cost of living. (Photo by THOMAS THURAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The neighborhoods of Sainte-Thérèse and Dillon have been particularly affected, with significant violence and damage reported. Fort-de-France and nearby Le Lamentin experienced clashes, thefts, and fires overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, with hooded youths confronting law enforcement. In Sainte-Thérèse, fires erupted near the local church, and in Dillon, a McDonald’s restaurant was extensively damaged by flames, prompting firefighter intervention around 1:49 a.m.

An image taken from an AFP video released on September 17, 2024 shows Rodrigue Petitot, leader of the RPPRAC (Union for the protection of African-Carribean people and ressources) answering questions at a road blockage set as part of protests over the high cost of living in Fort-de-France in the French Caribbean island of Martinique. (Photo by THOMAS THURAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The unrest appears to stem from an incident on September 11th at Carrefour Dillon, where peaceful protests against the rising cost of living turned violent after a reported crackdown by law enforcement. The RPPRAC, an organization representing protesters, condemned what they described as “police repression” and called for calm while urging the prefect to halt the “spiral of violence.”

“Children and elderly people who came to peacefully protest were brutally repressed,” the RPPRAC stated in an open letter today, which also reiterated their demands for public negotiations and price alignments with mainland France. Gladys Rogers, treasurer of the RPPRAC, acknowledged that while their calls for calm have been effective, the growing anger among the population is becoming harder to control.

The violence has led to widespread looting in Fort-de-France and Le Lamentin. Stores, including Cash Converters in downtown Fort-de-France and several businesses in the Jambette area, were broken into and robbed. The Fort-de-France municipal police headquarters were also targeted, and numerous roadblocks were erected, disrupting traffic in key areas like the Jeanne d’Arc roundabout. Officials in the French Caribbean island of Martinique say on September 17, 2024 at least six police officers were injured by gunfire during violent protests.

Despite the growing unrest, Mayor Laguerre continues to appeal for calm and stresses the need for immediate dialogue to resolve the tensions. “We must act swiftly to protect the safety and well-being of all Martinicans,” he said.

Wärtsilä and Aqualectra partner to support Curaçao’s decarbonisation with new power plant to balance renewables

News Americas, WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao, Sept. 18, 2024: Technology group Wärtsilä has again been contracted by Aqualectra, Curaҫao’s government owned utilities company, to provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction in support of the country’s decarbonisation program. This latest order is for a new 38.4 MW power plant that will be capable of providing efficient grid balancing as the level of renewable energy in the system continues to increase. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in Q3 2024.

Agreement signing – Front: Mathias West, CFO Neysa Isenia, Tganni Louisy. Back: Minister Charles Cooper, Chairman of the Board Renny Oehlers, Joseph Everon, and Rudolf Garmes.

The new Salu Power Plant is being supplied on a full engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. Initially, the plant will provide baseload power but will be later utilised in a grid balancing role as part of the utility’s decarbonisation focus. It will operate with four Wärtsilä 20V32 engines and will immediately become one of Aqualectra’s most fuel-efficient power plants.

Earlier this year, Aqualectra placed an order with Wärtsilä for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), as well as Wärtsilä’s GEMS Digital Energy Platform. The combined system will enable the expansion of renewable energy capacity, representing an important step towards a sustainable energy future for the island.

“Aqualectra immensely values the continued partnership with Wärtsilä and their availability to hold discussions, exchange and build bridges so that, on this occasion, we could again sign a significant agreement for the island and people of Curaçao,” says Mrs. Neysa Isenia, CFO at Aqualectra.

The combination of Wärtsilä’s BESS and GEMS solutions, supported by the new power plant, will provide grid stability and reliability, reduce unserved energy, and help mitigate the risk of brownouts and blackouts. In addition, the Wärtsilä solutions will allow Aqualectra to expand their decarbonisation vision while smoothing the intermittency of renewables.

“We have worked closely with Aqualectra in developing their long-term roadmap,” explains Risto Paldanius, Vice President, Americas at Wärtsilä Energy. “This involved a detailed analysis and modelling of their system, as well as verifying their own modelling. Aqualectra’s strategic objective is to provide the community with affordable, sustainable, and reliable electricity. Wärtsilä’s solutions will support all of these objectives through reducing the cost of generation, enabling the integration of renewables, while providing high reliability.”

Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment and construction of the power plant is being carried out on a fast-track basis, and the plant is expected to be fully operational by Q4 2025.

Aqualectra produces and distributes water and electricity to over 80,000 households and companies on Curaҫao Island. The company is an existing and valued Wärtsilä customer with three Wärtsilä engine power plants operating with a combined total of 16 Wärtsilä engines.

All Wärtsilä releases are available at www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases and at news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation where also the images can be downloaded. Use of the image(s) is allowed only in connection with the contents of this press release. Wärtsilä images are available at www.wartsila.com/media/image-bank.

Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy is at the forefront of the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers and the power sector to accelerate their decarbonisation journeys through our market-leading technologies and power system expertise. Our solutions include flexible engine power plants, energy storage and optimisation technology, and services for the whole lifecycle of our installations. Our engines are future-proof and can run on sustainable fuels. Our track record comprises 79 GW of power plant capacity, of which 18 GW are under service agreements, and over 125 energy storage systems, in 180 countries around the world.
www.wartsila.com/energy

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasise innovation in sustainable technology and services to help our customers continuously improve environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 17,800 professionals in more than 280 locations in 79 countries shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2023, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 6.0 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com

Aqualectra
Aqualectra is Curacao’s government-owned utility company. It produces and distributes water and electricity to over 80,000 households and companies. Aqualectra employs 615 dedicated women and men who provide the framework for delivering quality products and services to our customers.
www.aqualectra.com