Abengoa, a Spanish multinational corporation has achieved practical completion of a 100MW Xina Solar One plant; its third solar thermal plant in South Africa. The plant uses parabolic trough technology to generate power from the sun.
It features a thermal energy storage system using molten salts. It can store the necessary energy for a further 5.5 hour supply. This helps in meeting the country’s high power demand.
Gonzalo Urquijo, the company’s Executive Chairman, said the completion of the Xina Solar One project represents a firm step forward for the company. “The plant also demonstrates the talent and commitment of the Abengoa team and validates the trust the market has in us,” he added.
Xina Solar One is designed to operate on the basis of the ‘energy sale windows’ that are detailed in an electricity calendar. This is in accordance to the agreement signed with the national power utility, Eskom, and final client of the plant, to which the production at the plant is aligned.
The practical completion document certifies the plant’s correct operation following commissioning. This is in order for it to be handed over to the final client, the Industrial Development Corporation, the government employee pension fund which is represented by the Public Investment Corporation, the Xina Community Trust and Abengoa.
This project is a public-private initiative awarded by the South African Department of Energy. It will provide clean energy to Eskom under a 20-year power purchase agreement. It is located in the Northern Cape Province, bordered to the north by Kaxu Solar One.
Kaxu Solar One was the first power plant in operation that featured parabolic trough collector technology. This is a 100MW output and 2.5 hours of thermal molten salt storage.
