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The solar thermal plant in Kathu (South Africa), built by ACCIONA Industrial and Sener, entered commercial operation on January 30. With an installed capacity of 100 MW, it will provide clean energy to 179,000 homes in the Northern Cape region in the north of the country, and prevent the emission into the atmosphere of six million tons of CO 2 over the next 20 years.
The plant incorporates SENERTrough®-2 parabolic trough collectors and a molten salt storage system that stores heat from the solar field and generates electricity in the absence of solar radiation. Thanks to this system of storage of molten salts, with a capacity of up to 5 hours of power generation, the operational capacity of the plant is extended after sunset and on cloudy days.
Roberto Felipe, Director of Operations and Production of ACCIONA Industrial, said: "At ACCIONA, we are committed to renewable energies and, in particular, to solar thermal. The execution of the Kathu Solar Park plant has been a success thanks to the excellent team that has participated in the project, but also because of the impact it has had on the economy and population of the Northern Cape region in South Africa. This has been possible thanks to the excellent relationship with the local administration and the business sector, and with Kathu Solar Park, our client. This plant represents our second project in the region after the Bokpoort thermosolar plant, which consolidates us in the renewable energy market in the country ".
Siyabonga Mbanjwa, regional director of SENER in South Africa, said: "With the completion of the Kathu Solar Park project, we showed our firm commitment to the development of renewable energy in South Africa. Solar thermal energy, as a viable alternative to traditional baseload energy sources, has been shown to be aligned with the national agenda of South Africa, aimed at achieving inclusive growth that includes job creation, manufacturing, construction and rural development. The entry into commercial operation of Kathu provides the local community with a secure energy supply and allows us to manage demand adequately, while contributing to mitigate the effects of climate change. "
The project is part of the energy plan of the South African Government IRP 2010 (Integrated Resource Program), which aims to increase the countrys generation capacity to reach 86.8 GW in 2030, of which 24% will be renewable.
Kathu Solar Park was one of the projects awarded in the 3.5 bid for the Independent Renewable Energy Producer Acquisition Program (REIPPPP) led by the Department of Energy of South Africa (DoE).
The joint venture between ACCIONA Industrial and SENER was designated by the consortium led by ENGIE and which includes a group of South African investors, including the SIOC Community Development Trust; Investec Bank; Lereko Metier Sustainable Capital Fund, its co-investors FMO, Dutch Development Bank and DEG (German Investment and Development Company) and Public Investment Corporation. ACCIONA Industrial and SENER have been the companies in charge of providing engineering, procurement and construction services for the project.
Construction began in May 2016 and, during the construction peak in June 2018, approximately 1,700 jobs have been created. In addition, the Kathu solar thermal project has contributed to the economic development of the region through the hiring of local suppliers and through the KSP foundation and the Kelebogile Foundation, which has invested significantly in the local community, contributing to the development of the municipalitys community. district of John Taolo Gaetsewe.
For both companies, this is the second solar thermal project developed jointly in South Africa, following the 50 MW Bokpoort (Upington) plant, inaugurated at the end of 2016 and in which they were also part of the construction consortium.
ACCIONA Industrial has extensive experience in the development of turnkey renewable projects for electricity generation facilities using wind, solar thermal and photovoltaic technology. Among its most outstanding references are the Cerro Dominador project (110 MW), the first thermosolar plant in Latin America, currently under construction in the Atacama desert, in Chile; the Noor 1 parabolic trough solar thermal plant (160 MW), in Morocco; the photovoltaic plant Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (Phase III) (800 MW), currently under construction in Dubai (UAE), or the wind farm of Mesa de la Paz in Mexico, of 306 MW.
SENER leads the global thermoelectric solar energy market, both for the number of projects in the portfolio and for its own technological solutions. SENER has participated in a total of 29 projects, most of them turnkey projects in Spain, the United States, South Africa (the solar thermal plants Bookport, Kathu and Ilanga-1) and Morocco (the Noor I and Noor II parabolic trough solar thermal plants, and the Noor III tower solar thermal), which represent more than 2,000 MW of installed capacity and a saving of more than one million tons of CO 2 per year. |
