- The plant, owned by the EIG Global Energy Partners company Cerro Dominador, will have a 110 MW capacity and will be the first built in Latin America
- Once operational, the CSP power plant will prevent the emission of 640,000 tonnes of CO2
- ACCIONA and Abengoa have received the Notice To Proceed (NTP) with the construction of this tower plant, which is part of the Cerro Dominador solar complex.
A consortium formed by ACCIONA and Abengoa has signed the contract to complete the construction of the Cerro Dominador concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Chile. The consortium, led by ACCIONA Industrial with a 51% stake, will be responsible for building the 110 MW CSP plant with Abengoa technology, making it the first in Latin America.
The CSP plant tower will join the 100 MW photovoltaic plant already in operation, built by Abengoa, which has been in commercial service since February 2018. It will be part of a renewable energy complex with a total capacity of 210 MW and the first to combine both technologies anywhere on the continent.
This project will be able to generate clean energy, manageable for 24 hours, with a 17.5 hour thermal storage capacity based on molten salts. The 146-hectare solar field has 10,600 heliostats that direct solar radiation to a receiver located at a height of 252 metres.
Work is expected to resume this month, with Cerro Dominador, a company owned by funds managed by EIG Global Energy Partners, securing project financing in May with a consortium of national and international banks, and with the ACCIONA Industrial and Abengoa consortium receiving the notice to proceed.
The Cerro Dominador complex is located in the town of María Elena, in the Atacama Desert, in the Region of Antofagasta, an area with one of the highest solar radiation indexes in the world. The CSP plant to be built by ACCIONA and Abengoa will produce clean energy and prevent the emission of 640,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. The complex will prevent the emission of a total of 870,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, and will supply clean energy through 15-year energy purchase agreements signed with distributors in 2014.
Construction of the Cerro Dominador CSP plant will make a significant contribution to the local economy, creating more than 1,000 jobs in the area during the construction peak, with priority given to residents from the region’s municipalities.
Cerro Dominador selected the ACCIONA Industrial and Abengoa consortium because of its proven experience of developing and executing solar thermal projects around the world.
ACCIONA has built 10 solar thermal power plants globally, with a total capacity of 624 MW. The 100 MW Kathu plant, in South Africa is currently under construction. Cerro Dominador is the fifth solar thermal power plant built by the company outside of Spain. Its construction highlights ACCIONA’s commitment to the development of renewable energy sources around the world.
Abengoa will be the technology partner for the engineering and construction project, contributing its know-how in the construction of CSP plants, with over 30 years of experience developing and constructing plants with an installed power of 2.6 GW around the world, currently representing 38% of the global installed capacity. It is currently the technology partner for construction of phase IV of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, owned by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the world’s largest solar complex, located in Dubai.
About ACCIONA
ACCIONA is a leader in providing sustainable solutions for infrastructure and renewable energy projects across the world. It spans the entire value chain from design and construction through to operation and maintenance. With a presence in more than 40 countries and sales of €7.254 billion in 2017, the company is committed to contributing to the economic and social development of the communities in which it operates. ACCIONA seeks to lead the transition towards a low carbon economy, delivering quality and using innovative processes to optimise resource use and protect the environment in all of its projects.
ACCIONA has been present in Chile since 1993. Through its Infrastructure division, it has carried out major construction projects for highways, hospitals, hydroelectric plants and infrastructures for the mining sector. In the services sector, it provides handling services at Chile's leading airports, along with comprehensive freight transport through its forwarding business. ACCIONA has also designed, built and currently operates a large desalination plant for the mining industry in Copiapó, an initiative that joins the wastewater treatment facilities built in Valdivia, Osorno, La Ligua and Temuco.
Meanwhile, ACCIONA Energy is one of the leading renewable energies operators in the country, where it has built and operates the largest photovoltaic plant in Latin America, Romero, with a maximum power of 246 MW, and a wind farm, Punta Palmeras, with 45 MW, located in the Coquimbo region. The company is currently building the 183 MW San Gabriel wind farm in the Region of La Araucanía.
About Abengoa
Abengoa (MCE: ABG/P:SM) applies innovative technology solutions to sustainable development in the infrastructure, energy and water sectors. (www.abengoa.com)