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Sener and Acciona start salt-melting process at CCSP Kathu Solar Park

| By Gerald Ondrey

Kathu Solar Park, a SENER projectThe engineering and technology group Sener S.A. (Las Arenas, Spain; www.engineeringandconstruction.sener) and Acciona Industrial S.A. (Madrid, Spain; www.acciona.com) have achieved another relevant milestone initiating the salt-melting process at the Kathu Solar Park Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant. The molten salt will be used to store heat from the solar field that can later be recovered to produce steam and generate electricity in the absence of solar radiation, extending the operational capacity of the plant after sunset and during cloudy weather.

Thanks to this molten salt storage system, that allows 4.5 hours of thermal energy storage, the Kathu Solar Park CSP Plant will supply clean energy to 179,000 homes. The plant uses Senertrough-2 collectors (photo, below), a parabolic trough technology, specifically designed and patented by Sener, aimed at improving efficiency of the solar field. The significance of this technology — Senertrough-2 and molten salt storage system — is that the CSP plant will not only supply power during sunny periods, but as needed to satisfy the peak of demand, without the considerable expense of battery storage.

Kathu Solar Park is one of the awarded projects in bid window 3.5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP) led by the South African Department of Energy (DOE).

The joint venture between Sener and Acciona Industrial was appointed by the ENGIE (www.engie-africa.com) led consortium to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the project. Construction started on site in May 2016 and is due for completion within the next few months. Approximately 1,400 jobs are being created during the construction phase. It is estimated that the Kathu Solar Park will save six million metric of CO2 over 20 years and will further promote local economic development through the KSP trust and the Kelebogile Trust, which has invested significantly in the local community thus far thereby making a meaningful contribution to the community of the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality.

 SENERtrough-2 system at Kathu Solar Park