The Kathu Solar Park (South Africa) constructed by SENER and ACCIONA Industrial came into commercial operation on 30 January 2019. With an installed capacity of 100 MW, it will allow clean energy to be supplied to 179,000 homes in the Northern Cape Province and prevent the emission of six million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere over the next 20 years.
The plant incorporates SENERtrough®-2 parabolic trough collectors and a molten salt storage system that enables heat from the solar park to be stored and electricity to be generated in the absence of solar radiation. This molten salt storage system, which provides up to 5 hours of power generation, extends the operational capacity of the plant after sundown and on cloudy days.
Siyabonga Mbanjwa, Regional Managing Director of SENER Southern Africa stated: "With the completion of Kathu Solar Park, we show our firm commitment to the development of a renewable energy industry in South Africa. Concentrated Solar Power, as a viable alternative to traditional baseload sources of energy, has a demonstrated alignment with South Africa's national agenda of achieving inclusive growth that includes job-creating, manufacturing, construction and rural development. Reaching commercial operation at Kathu means that the energy supply to the local community is secure and demand is well managed while contributing to mitigate the effects of climate change".
Roberto Felipe, Director of Operations and Production at ACCIONA Industrial, stated: "At ACCIONA we are committed to renewable energies, and in particular to CSP energy. The execution of the Kathu Solar Park plant has been a success for performance objectives thanks to the excellent team involved in the project, and also for the impact it has had on the economy and population in the Province of the Northern Cape in South Africa. This has been made possible thanks to the excellent relationship with local administrations and businesses, and with Kathu Solar Park, our client. In addition, this plant becomes our second project in the region along with the Bokpoort solar thermal plant, which consolidates us in the renewable energy market in the country".
The project is part of the South African Government's Integrated Resource Programme (IRP) 2010. This plan aims to increase the country's power generation capacity to 86.8 GW by 2030, of which 24% will be renewable.
Kathu Solar Park was one of the projects awarded during bid window 3.5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) by the South African Department of Energy (DoE).
The joint venture between SENER and ACCIONA Industrial was appointed by the shareholders, which is led by ENGIE, including a group of South African investors comprising SIOC Community Development Trust, Investec Bank, Lereko Metier Sustainable Capital Fund, its co-investors FMO, the Dutch development bank and DEG, the German investment and development company and the Public Investment Corporation to provide the engineering, procurement and construction services on the project.
June 18, 2024
