Markets

This week’s CSP Today news brief includes the following companies and organisations: ACWA, Aries Ingenieria Y Sistemas, TSK Electronica y Electricidad; Solar Energy Industries Association; The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Dii.

Contract for Morrocan plant set to be decided

A report filed by Reuters has indicated that a consortium led by Saudi International Company for Water and Power (ACWA Power) is close to winning a contract worth at least $500 million to build a 160-MW CSP plant south of Morocco.

ACWA has teamed up with Spanish engineering firm Aries Ingenieria Y Sistemas and TSK Electronica y Electricidad for the design, finance, construction, operation and maintenance of the plant near the southern city of Ouarzazate. The Ouarzazate solar complex is an important step in Morocco’s national plan to deploy 2000 MW of solar power generation capacity by 2020 and follows last year’s World Bank loans of $297 million to Morocco to help finance the project.

Last month, a consortium led by Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power International (developer, owner and operator of independent water and power projects) was chosen as preferred bidder to develop the Bokpoort CSP Independent Power Project in South Africa. The project is located in Northern Cape Province, 600 km west of Johannesburg, and has been developed by ACWA Power as lead developer together with Solafrica Thermal Energy as co-developer. It is a Greenfield Independent Power Project (IPP) to be developed as part of South Africa’s renewable IPP programme.

Solar market going strong in the US

2012 is shaping up to be another banner year for the U.S. solar market, according to a new report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The U.S. Solar Market Insight: Q1 2012 report has shared that concentrating solar power facilities are providing 516 MW of electric power to the U. S. Overall, solar electric capacity reached 4,943 MW in the U.S. Led by strong growth in the commercial market segment, the U.S. installed a record 506 MW over the first three months of this year, more than any other first quarter on record.

Key developments for CSP:
 

• Abengoa’s Solana Generating Station received a $125 million investment from Capital Riesgo Global, a subsidiary of Banco Santander, for an equity stake in the project
• Construction of the power tower at the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project was completed in February 2012
• A total of 1.1 GW (alternating current) of CSP is now under construction

UfM and Dii sign Memorandum of Understanding

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), a multilateral partnership bringing together 43 countries from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans, and industrial initiative Dii recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for future collaboration.

The two entities saw a clear opportunity for partnership as both strive for the same long-term objective in fostering the use of renewable energy in the Mediterranean region. The UfM and Dii (launched as Desertec Industrial Initiative) will work on enhancing their cooperation in order to capitalise on existing synergies.

UfM and Dii will develop their long-term strategies “Mediterranean Solar Plan” and “Desert Power 2050” for one common cause. In particular, the two organisations will cooperate in the fields of policy and regulatory frameworks, assessment of transmission and storage infrastructures, EUMENA interconnections, financing tools and support schemes. Dii’s long-term strategy “Desert Power 2050” points out which technological and geographical mix of renewable energy is best suited to provide the EUMENA region with a sustainable power system.

Dii also reported that in addition to this, the critical issues of socio-economic progress, industrial development and employment promotion in the Mediterranean region will be addressed as part of this collaboration.

SEIA elects its new Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2012-2014

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, has elected the following chair and vice-chair to serve on SEIA’s Board of Directors Executive Committee: Chairman Arno Harris and Vice-Chairwoman Patricia Nugent.

Harris is CEO of solar project developer Recurrent Energy and Nugent is currently the Director of Policy and Business Development for Dow Solar, a business unit of the Dow Chemical Company.