Weekly Intelligence Brief
Press release: Stadtwerke München and RWE Innogy realise a parabolic trough power plant in Spain
13 July 2009
- Planned commissioning scheduled for 2011
- Project development and solar technology from Solar Millennium Group
Munich, 10 July 2009
Stadtwerke München and RWE Innogy are realising the solar thermal power plant Andasol 3 in the south of Spain in conjunction with MAN Ferrostaal, RheinEnergie and Solar Millennium. The power plant was developed by Erlangen-based Solar Millennium AG. Stadtwerke München has a 48.9% share in the project company Marquesado Solar S.L. RWE Innogy and RheinEnergie jointly hold 25.1% of the shares in this project via an investment holding company (RWE Innogy: 51%, RheinEnergie: 49%). The remaining 26% of the project company continue to be owned by an investment holding company of MAN Ferrostaal and Solar Millennium. Construction of the power plant has already commenced. The solar thermal power plant is expected to start operation in 2011 with an output of approximately 50 megawatts (MW), and will be jointly operated by the project partners.
Dr. Kurt Mühlhäuser, Chairman of the Executive Board of Stadtwerke München (SWM) emphasised: “We have an ambitious objective: Munich will be the first city in Germany where all private households can be supplied with electricity generated from renewable sources in SWM’s own power plants. We currently use hydroelectric power, wind energy, biomass and photovoltaic cells. With our investment in the Andasol 3 project, we have chosen another ground-breaking technology. The parabolic trough power plant in the south of Spain will bring us a great deal closer to our objective.”
Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt, Chairman of the Executive Board of RWE Innogy said: “Parabolic trough technology sets new benchmarks for solar electricity generation. It can be deployed on a large scale and generates electricity in a reliable and power grid-friendly way even after sunset thanks to a huge molten salt thermal storage system. This allows the plant to generate electricity for almost twice the amount of hours as a solar power plant without the storage system. For us, this investment is therefore a further important step toward a sustainable and safe method of providing energy on the basis of renewable energies.”
Christian Beltle, Chairman of the Executive Board of Solar Millennium said: “As a result of our early entry into the market, we have extensive expertise in the development and realisation of solar thermal power plants. We have supplied the solar technology for the first parabolic trough power plants in both Spain and Egypt. The fact that we are now joining forces with four leading German companies is a wonderful acknowledgement of our work to date.”
Dr. Dieter Steinkamp, Chairman of the Executive Board of RheinEnergie said: “In the Rhine region, we have a responsibility towards around 2.5 million people. It is intended in the future that the basis for our own energy generation should increasingly come from renewable energy sources alongside the environmentally friendly combined heat and power generation. Just a few days ago we took over 19 wind farms across the country with an output of over 100 MW. With Andasol 3, we are now focusing on the future technology of solar energy.”
Dr. Rainer Kistner, Head of Solar Power of MAN Ferrostaal, is excited about the new partnership for Andasol 3. “Solar thermal power plants have enormous future potential. They are environmentally friendly, reliable and predictable, since they are independent of fluctuating oil and gas prices. They ensure long-term security of energy supplies which, for us, is the most important argument to be involved in the project as an investor and as plant constructor. As a constructor of power plants and in conjunction with our technology partner Solar Millennium, we have created the best conditions for making the project a success.”
With an electrical output of approximately 50 MW, Andasol 3 is the third solar thermal power plant that has been installed in the Spanish province of Granada by Solar Millennium. The neighbouring projects Andasol 1 and Andasol 2, which each have an electrical output of around 50 MW, are already connected to the grid or in the test phase. Andasol 1 was officially inaugurated a few days ago. The power plants, which are almost identical in their construction, will have a collector surface area of over 1.5 million square metres – equal to the surface area of approximately 210 football fields – thus making it the largest solar energy site in Europe. The expected gross energy production for each power plant is approximately 170 gigawatt hours a year. This means the power plants can collectively supply electricity to around half a million people each year and avoid the production of approximately 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide1.
Upon completion of the Andasol 3 power plant, around 210,000 parabolic mirrors will capture the sunlight. These gigantic, arched mirrors concentrate the sun’s rays. The heat generated by doing this is transferred to a heat transfer fluid. Trough heat exchanging devices the thermal energy is transferred the thermal energy to a water/steam circuit. As in a conventional power station, this steam drives a turbine. The generator, which is attached to it, generates electricity. By means of a thermal storage system, electricity can be provided in a planned way. This thermal storage system comprises 28,500 tonnes of a special salt mixture; its capacity can run the turbine for 7.5 hours at full load. Andasol 3 is therefore able to reliably generate electricity even after the sun has set.
The construction of Andasol 3 is already at an advanced stage: the early works has been completed as far as possible. The foundations for the collector mountings in the solar park are currently being cast. The assembly of the collectors and their subsequent incorporation into the solar park will begin shortly. The construction of the Andasol 3 power plant is the responsibility of a joint venture company involving Solar Millennium and MAN Ferrostaal, as well as the Spanish company Duro Felguera S.A. Solar Millennium’s subsidiary, Flagsol, is providing the technology for the solar park – just as it did for the sister projects Andasol 1 and 2.
Further information about Andasol 3 can be found at www.solarmillennium.de
For enquiries:
Stadtwerke München GmbH
Bettina Hess
Press Officer
T: +49 89 2361 5042
E: presse@swm.de
RWE Innogy GmbH
Barbara Woydtke
Press Officer
T: +49 201 12-14074
M: +49 173 2904651
E: barbara.woydtke@rwe.com
MAN Ferrostaal AG
Daniel Reinhardt
Corporate Communication
T: +49 201 818 2424
E: daniel.reinhardt@manferrostaal.com
RheinEnergie AG
Christoph Preuss
Press and Public Relations Manager
T: +49 221 178-3036
M: +49 1520 1633036
E: c.preuss@rheinenergie.com
Solar Millennium AG
Sven Moormann
Corporate Communication Manager
T: +49 9131 94090
E: presse@SolarMillennium.de
Stadtwerke München GmbH (SWM) is the municipal utilities company of the city of Munich. For decades, SWM has stood for a safe and resource-saving supply of energy (electricity, natural gas, district heating) and drinking water fresh from the source in the Bavarian alpine uplands to the Bavarian metropolis. Its transport subsidiary, MVG, is responsible for the metro system, buses and trams, and is therefore an essential pillar of Munich’s local public transport. Furthermore, with its 18 indoor swimming pools and open air pools, SWM operates one of the most modern network of swimming pools in Germany. With its well-priced products and customer-oriented services, SWM makes a large contribution to municipal public services and to the quality of life in Munich. The SWM Group employs around 7,000 employees. In the 2008 financial year, the group’s turnover was approximately €4.7 billion.
RWE Innogy GmbH
RWE Innogy is the management division for renewable energies in the RWE Group. The company currently operates around 620 megawatts (MW) of wind power, of which 60 MW is offshore. In addition, hydroelectric energy generates almost 600 MW and biomass supplements the portfolio with 113 MWel and 809 MWth. RWE Innogy has a particularly strong presence in Germany, followed by Great Britain. However, the company also has a solid basis in Spain, France, Portugal and the Czech Republic, which it wishes to expand.
MAN Ferrostaal AG
MAN Ferrostaal is a global provider of industrial services in plant construction and engineering. As a general contractor in plant construction, the company offers project development, project management and financial planning for turnkey installations, including petrochemical plants, gas and solar power stations, oil and gas installations, biofuels and industrial plants. MAN Ferrostaal operates as an independent sales and service partner in the automotive, printing and packaging machinery, piping and marine construction sectors, employing around 4,400 people in 60 different countries. In 2008, its annual turnover amounted to 1.6 billion euros. The majority of the shares of MAN Ferrostaal is held by the International Petroleum Investment Company from Abu Dhabi (IPIC – 70%). MAN AG, Germany, is a minority shareholder (30%). For more information, visit www.manferrostaal.com.
RheinEnergie AG
RheinEnergie, Cologne, is the regional municipal provider of energy and water in Cologne and the Rhine region. As a local utilities company, RheinEnergie views itself as having a special responsibility with regard to climate protection, which it fulfils with its “Energy & Climate 2020” program, among other things. Within the framework of this program alone, the company will provide €25 million over the next five years, thereby triggering investment in energy efficiency and climate protection in the region of €100 million. At least 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be additionally saved. Moreover, RheinEnergie recently became Germany’s largest municipal owner of German wind farms with a total capacity of more than 100 MW.
www.rheinenergie.com
Solar Millennium AG
Solar Millennium AG, Erlangen, is a globally active company in the renewable energies sector with a focus on solarthermal power plants. Together with its subsidiaries, the company has specialised in parabolic trough power plants, a proven and reliable technology in which the Group is taking a leading position globally. All of the important business segments along the value-creation chain of solarthermal power plants are covered – from the project development to the technology, the turnkey ready construction of the plants and operation and ownership of the power plant. Together with partners, Solar Millennium developed and realised Europe’s first parabolic trough power plants in Spain. Further projects with an output of over 2,000 megawatts are in the planning stage worldwide. The regional focus is currently on Spain, USA, China and North Africa. Furthermore, the company is pursuing the objective of achieving the marketability of “Blue Tower” technology to acquire hydrogenated product gas from the utilisation of regenerative feedstock and, in the long term, of solar updraft power plants.
1 In comparison to a modern coal-fired power station.
