SENER and ACCIONA together form the consortium chosen to develop the turnkey project of the Kathu solar thermal plant. Located in the town of Kathu, in the Northern Cape Province, the plant will begin operations in 2018 and will be able to supply electricity to 80,000 homes.
This complex is led by GDF SUEZ with South African partners and has been selected by the South African Department of Energy to form part of the country’s renewable energy development program (REIPPP), with a forecast investment of more than EUR 500 million.
The installation entails a 100 MW plant with parabolic troughs (specifically, the SENERtrough®-2 system, designed and patented by SENER) and a thermal energy storage capacity of 4.5 hours, thanks to the use of molten salts.
Because of the nature of the contract, SENER and ACCIONA will carry out the engineering, construction and commissioning of the entire facility. The building consortium will also use local suppliers, as the project is fully committed to contributing to the local community.
The project marks the second solar thermal installation for SENER and ACCIONA in South Africa; the first being the
Bokpoort plant (Upington), which will be operational in late 2015. This is also a turnkey project that uses SENERtrough® technology and a molten salt storage system.