SENER honoured for Kathu Solar Park Complex, Bokpoort CSP Power Plant at African Utility Week Power Awards

SENER honoured for Kathu Solar Park Complex, Bokpoort CSP Power Plant at African Utility Week Power Awards

Getxo, Spain, 22-May-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Leading engineering and construction company SENER, as part of the consortium for the turnkey construction of the 100MW Kathu Solar Park Complex, has been judged as having delivered “The Deal of the Year” at the fourth edition of the African Utility Week Power Awards. The event took place on Wednesday 17 May 2017, in Cape Town, South Africa. SENER was also awarded, ‘’Large Scale Renewable Energy Project,’’ for Bokpoort CSP Power Plant, ACWA Power, South Africa.

The African Utility Power Industry Awards is the leading platform to recognize, reward and celebrate the success of Africa’s power and water sectors during 2016/17.

SENER is part of the consortium that will be providing the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the power plant at Kathu Solar Park. This is a concentrated solar power (CSP) project that includes the second-generation SENERtrough2® parabolic trough technology, specifically designed and patented by SENER.

“We are proud of these awards, which are a testament to the skills that have been brought to the project by the consortiums for both the Kath Solar park and the Bokpoort concentrated solar plant,” says Siyabonga Mbanjwa, Southern Africa Regional MD. “Kathu is equipped with a molten salt heat storage system that allows it to supply thermal power for 4.5 hours, thus extending its operational capacity even after sundown. Kathu will supply enough power to meet the electricity demand of 150,000 homes.’’

Construction on the unit began in May 2016, and it is expected to be completed in the second quarter/half of 2018. During this phase, around 1,200 jobs will be created, approximately 36% of which will be held by locals. In addition to this, the Kathu Solar Park is expected to save six million tons of CO₂ over 20 years, and it will foster more local economic development through several project. These include a fund for the local community that will benefit the area around the municipality of John Taolo Gaetsewe in Northern Cape, in addition to subcontracting other services to local businesses.

The new concentrated solar plant at Bokpoort is already in operation and has a gross capacity of 55 MW. It uses SENERtrough® parabolic trough collector technology with a 1,300 MWht system of two energy storage tanks (TES – Thermal Energy Storage) using molten salts that provide 9.3 hours of operation.

SOURCE: SENER group