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
R9.4-billion.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Xina Solar One was officially launched May 18 this year.

The solar thermal plant became fully operational on August 1 last year and follows the successful launch of the Kaxu Solar One and Khi Solar One solar plants, in the Northern Cape.

The opening was officiated by Energy Minister Jeff Radebe.

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.