Abengoa has been selected by South Africa's energy department to develop Xina Solar One, a 100 MW parabolic trough concentrating solar power (CSP) plant with a five-hour thermal energy storage system.
Abengoa's new project will be constructed close to Pofadder in Northern Cape province near the 100 MW KaXu Solar One CSP plant the company is currently building. Xina Solar One will belong to a consortium, 40% of which is owned by Abengoa. Other members of the consortium include the Industrial Development Corp., the Public Investment Corp. and the KaXu Community Trust.
‘This project once again illustrates the maturity of solar-thermal technology, which can be efficiently stored and used when it is needed,’ says Abengoa CEO Manuel Sanchez Ortega. ‘We are extremely satisfied with the trust that has been placed in us by the South African government and the partners that accompany us in this project.’
Thermal storage is seen as one of the advantages of CSP technology.
Xina Solar One was awarded to Abengoa in the third round of renewable energy projects organized by South Africa's energy department and is part of the national strategy to introduce up to 17.8 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in 2014.
