Cerro Dominador Solar Thermal Plant
Official namePlanta Solar Cerro Dominador
CountryChile
LocationAntofagasta
Coordinates22°46′19″S 69°28′48″W / 22.77191°S 69.47994°W / -22.77191; -69.47994
StatusOperational
Construction beganMay 2014[1]
Commission dateJune 8th 2021
Construction costest. $1 billion
Owner(s)EIG Global Energy Partners
Solar farm
TypeCPVCSP
CSP technologySolar power tower
Collectors10,600
Site area750 ha (1,900 acres)
Power generation
Units operational100 MW
Units under const.110 MW
Nameplate capacity210 MW
Annual net output950 GW·h (secured sale)
Storage capacity1,925 MW·he
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons

Cerro Dominador Solar Power Plant (Spanish: Planta Solar Cerro Dominador) is a 210-megawatt (MW) combined concentrated solar power and photovoltaic plant[2] located in the commune of María Elena[3] in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, about 24 kilometres (15 mi) west-northwest of Sierra Gorda. The project was approved by the Chilean government in 2013 and construction was started by Abengoa Solar Chile, a branch of the multinational Abengoa Spain. The plant was inaugurated on June 8, 2021.[4] A follow-up project called Likana Solar bid $33.99/MWh in an auction in August 2021.[5]

History

Construction started in May 2014.[1] On 29 August 2015, workers mobilization started a strike over poor working conditions.[6] Following Abengoa financial woes, construction halted in January 2016, after about 1,500 workers were fired from the project, leaving only maintenance personnel on site.[7][8] Construction progress was more than 50% complete.[9] In October 2016, EIG Global Energy Partners became the sole owner of the project, after acquiring the participation of Abengoa, which remained as a technological partner and builder.[2]

In February 2018, after Abengoa completed the construction of the 100 MW photovoltaic section, the plant started operation.[2]

In May 2018, EIG Global Energy Partners closed a $758 million financing and Abengoa partnered with Acciona to restart construction and execute the second phase of the CSP section, which happened in June 2018. Among the financing funders are Natixis, Deutsche Bank, Société Générale, ABN AMRO, Banco Santander, Commerzbank and BTG Pactual.[2][10][11]

In February 2020, the melting process of 45,000 tons salt in the thermal storage unit was initiated. The salt mixture was produced by the SQM mining company (Sociedad Química y Minera, a Chilean chemical supplier of fertilizers, iodine, lithium and industrial chemicals).[12][13]

Its solar receiver weighing 2,300 tons was raised at the end of February 2020 to a height of 220 meters in the central tower of the complex, giving the tower a total height of 252 meters.[14]

Cerro Dominador CSP project

The Cerro Dominador project[15] will see the construction and operation of a 110 MW concentrated solar power plant with storage in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta, located in the Atacama desert, one of the driest places with the highest solar radiation on earth. When finished, Cerro Dominador will be the largest CSP power plant with storage in Latin America.[16] The facility will have a total aperture area of 1,484,000 m2 (15,970,000 sq ft), fully usable at noon.[17] It was grid connected in April 2021.[18]

PS10 is the first commercial CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plant of the World, built in Andalusia , Spain . CSP is also called “concentrating solar power” or “concentrated solar thermal”.

Details

Technology

The Cerro Dominador project has a 110 MW solar-thermal tower. This technology uses a series of mirrors (heliostats) that track the sun on two axes, concentrating the solar radiation on a receiver on the upper part of the tower, where the heat is transferred to molten salts.[19] The molten salts then transfer their heat in a heat exchanger to water, generating superheated steam, which feeds a turbine that transforms the kinetic energy of the steam into electric energy using the Rankine cycle.[20] In this way, the Cerro Dominador plant is capable of generating around 110 MW of power.[21] The plant has an advanced storage system enabling it to generate electricity for up to 17.5 hours without direct solar radiation, which allows it to provide a stable electricity supply without interruptions if required. The Project secured up to 950 GW·h per year sale. Additionally, the plant has a sub-station and transmission line connected to the SING (Sistema Interconectado del Norte Grande) or Norte Grande Electric Grid.

With 252 metres in height, the main tower is the second tallest man-made structure in Chile after Gran Torre Costanera.[22]

The plant has an estimated lifespan of 30 to 50 years.

Funding

The cost of the project is estimated at US$1 billion, and construction started in May 2014. The Chilean government, through CORFO, is providing US$20 million of funding and is also loaning the land where the plant is located. The government also negotiated loans from the Inter-American Development Bank, the Clean Technology Fund, the German state-owned development bank (KfW), and the European Union.

A Power purchase agreement was signed with Empresas Copec in December 2019, running 5 years from July 2020.[23][24]

Purpose

The project is part of Chile's national renewable energy program, intended to provide Chile with cleaner energy, while also reducing its dependency on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Chile has set a target to produce 20% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2025.[25]

Cerro Dominador will prevent the emission of approximately 643,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. The construction, operation and maintenance of the plant will also act as a catalyst for regional socio-economic development, creating a large number of direct and indirect jobs in construction, development, commissioning and plant operation as well as a network of services that will promote economic growth in the region.[26]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Comienzan trabajos de primera planta termosolar en Latinoamerica" [First solar thermal plant works begin in Latin America]. Periodista1 (in Spanish). El Mensajero. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mesones, Javier; Esteller, Rubén (22 May 2018). "Abengoa se alía con Acciona para una planta solar en Chile de 650 millones" [Abengoa teams up with Acciona for a 650 million-euro solar plant in Chile]. www.eleconomista.es (in Spanish). Editorial Ecoprensa, S.A. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  3. ↑ (in Spanish) Ficha del Proyecto:“PLANTA SOLAR CERRO DOMINADOR” – Location Map Servicio de evaluación ambiental retrieved January 25, 2014
  4. ↑ "Cerro Dominador CSP plant in Chile officially opens". Archived from the original on 2021-09-02.
  5. ↑ "Licitaciones de suministro: Concentración Solar de Potencia logró récord de US$33,9 por MWH". Archived from the original on 2021-09-02.
  6. ↑ 5 días de paralización llevan trabajadores de proyecto Atacama 1. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Abengoa Said to Plan Return to Work on Giant Chilean Solar Plant. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Abengoa may resume work on Chilean CSP project in Q4 Archived 2016-10-09 at the Wayback Machine. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Abengoa retoma construcción de millonario proyecto solar. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Cerro Dominador Closes $758 Million Financing For The First Concentrated Solar Power Plant in Latin America". www.elioscsp.com. Protermosolar. 18 May 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Chile's 210 MW Cerro Dominador CSP-PV Project Signs Financing". www.solarpaces.org. SolarPACES. 19 May 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "Cerro Dominador da inicio a hito de fusión de sales producidas por SQM". www.latercera.com (in Spanish). La Tercera, GrupoCopesa. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "[Chile] Initiated the salt melting works on the Cerro Dominador Thermosolar Plant". www.mmypem.com. Montajes Mecánicos y Puestas En Marcha. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Cerro Dominador, the first concentrated solar power tower plant in Latin America, raises its receiver at 220 meters high". REVE News. 5 March 2020.
  15. ↑ Ficha del Proyecto:“PLANTA SOLAR CERRO DOMINADOR” Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental
  16. ↑ "'A solar Saudi Arabia': While Trump promotes coal, Chile and others are turning to cheap sun power". The Washington Post. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  17. ↑ "Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Atacama-1". www.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Latin America's first CSP plant now online". FinanzNachrichten.de (in German). 15 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Chile to welcome largest solar concentration plant in Lat Am www.thisischile.cl Thursday, January 16, 2014 retrieved January 27, 2014
  20. ↑ "Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Atacama-1". National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  21. ↑ Abengoa to build 110MW solar tower storage plant in Chile reneweconomy.com.au/ By Giles Parkinson on 13 January 2014
  22. ↑ BRAVO, JUAN PABLO. "Primera planta termosolar en Chile". El Mercurio. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  23. ↑ "Copec inks PPA with Cerro Dominador Concentrated Solar Power plant". www.cspfocus.cn. 2019-12-12.
  24. ↑ "LatAm solar flagship signs five-year deal to power electric vehicles". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news. 2019-12-13.
  25. ↑ Chilean Congress approved new law for NCRE: 20% by 2025 Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Centro de Energías Renovables retrieved January 26, 2014
  26. ↑ Abengoa to develop South America’s largest solar-thermal plant in Chile www.abengoa.com retived January 9, 2014
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