https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Xina Solar One parabolic trough plant project, South Africa

20th October 2017

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

Name of the Project
Xina Solar One parabolic trough plant project.

Location
Pofadder, Northern Cape, South Africa.

Client
Abengoa (40%), with the balance of the project being held by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and the KaXu Community Trust.

Project Description
The project involves the development of a 100 MW parabolic trough plant, with a 5.5-hour thermal energy storage system using molten salts. The plant is expected to generate about 400 GWh/y of energy. The project will form the largest solar complex in Africa, together with Abengoa’s plant KaXu Solar One project, currently under construction in the country.

Parabolic trough technology employs parabolic-shaped mirrors that are set on a structure so that they can track the movement of the sun and concentrate solar radiation onto a receiving tube. Inside the tube, a heat-absorbing fluid flows and reaches high temperatures. This fluid transfers the thermal energy to a heat exchanger that heats water into steam, which ultimately drives a turbine to generate electricity.

The plant also uses thermal-energy storage technology that, with a set of thermal storage tanks filled with molten salts, enables the plant to generate electricity after the sun sets or during transitory cloudy periods, in addition to being able to adapt energy production to the peaks of demand.

Xina Solar One will produce clean energy equivalent to power an estimated 95 000 households, thus preventing the emission of 348 000 t/y of carbon dioxide.

The construction, operation and maintenance of the plant will stimulate regional socioeconomic development by creating numerous direct and indirect jobs, as well as a supply chain that will foster economic growth.

The project has been selected as one of 17 preferred bidders in the third round of the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

Jobs To Be Created
During the construction phase, job creation peaked at more than 1 300 positions, to which another 80 will now be added during the operation phase over the next 25 years.

Value
The total investment in the Xina project is expected to be $880-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The Xina CSP plant has successfully completed its first month of commercial operation in October this year. Mott MacDonald was lenders’ technical adviser during the project’s financing and construction stages and will now monitor operations in an ongoing role.

As lender’s technical adviser, Mott MacDonald provided technical, environmental and social due diligence prior to financial close. The consultancy then provided construction-monitoring services, helping the project attain practical completion to commence operations.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Abeinsa (construction) and Mott MacDonald (lenders technical adviser).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Abengoa communications department, Patricia Malo de Molina Meléndez, tel +34 954 93 71 11 or email communication@abengoa.com.
Abeinsa, tel +34 954 93 70 00 or email abeinsa@abengoa.com.
Mott MacDonald, Tom Smith, tel +44 20 8774 2205 or email tom.smith@mottmac.com.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Showroom

SMS group
SMS group

At SMS group, we have made it our mission to create a carbon-neutral and sustainable metals industry.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
SAIMC (Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control)
SAIMC (Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control)

Education: Consulting with member companies to obtain the optimal benefits from their B-BBEE spending, skills resources as well as B-BBEE points

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Photo of Martin Creamer
On-The-Air (15/03/2024)
15th March 2024 By: Martin Creamer
Magazine round up | 15 March 2024
Magazine round up | 15 March 2024
15th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.112 0.164s - 159pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now