Sener and ACCIONA to build Solar Thermal Park in South Africa for over €500 million
The Spain-based renewable energy developer companies SENER and ACCIONA announced a consortium to develop the turnkey project of the Kathu solar thermal plant in South Africa.
This complex is led by GDF SUEZ with South African partners and has been selected by the South African Department of Energy (DOE) to form part of the country’s renewable energy development program (REIPPP), with a forecast investment of more than EUR 500 million.
Because of the nature of the contract, SENER and ACCIONA will carry out the engineering, construction and commissioning of the entire facility. The building consortium will also use local suppliers, as the project is fully committed to contributing to the local community.
Kathu solar thermal plant
It is a 100 MW plant with parabolic troughs (specifically, the SENERtrough-2 system, designed and patented by SENER) and a thermal energy storage capacity of 4.5 hours, thanks to the use of molten salts. Located in the town of Kathu, in the Northern Cape Province, the plant will begin operations in 2018 and will be able to supply electricity to 80,000 homes.
For both companies, this is their second solar thermal project in South Africa, the first being the Bokpoort plant (Upington), which will be operational in late 2015 and in which they also form part of the building consortium. This is also a turnkey project that uses SENERtrough technology and a molten salt storage system.
Source: Press Release by Acciona. Image Credit: Acciona and Sener.
