Abengoa begins operation of two CSP plants in Spain

Spain-based Abengoa has started commercial operations of its two 50MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in Extremadura, Spain.

The two plants, Solaben 1 and Solaben 6, belong to the 200MW Extremadura Solar Complex.

By employing parabolic trough technology, the plants are expected to generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 104,000 households.

Besides the company also closed the non-recourse financing for these plants totaling €200m ($270m). The loan will free up the equivalent amount of equity the company has invested as part of its divestment plan.

In the parabolic trough plants, a set of parabolic-shaped mirrors is set to track the movement of the sun and concentrate solar radiation onto a receiving tube.

Inside the tube, a heat-absorbing fluid flows and reaches around 750° F. This fluid transfers the thermal energy into steam that is driven by a turbine to generate electricity.

The project is jointly owned by Abengoa Solar (70%) and Itochu (30%).

Additionally, Abengoa Solar and Itochu have signed an agreement to collaborate in the analysis and development, on a non-exclusive basis, of future projects, mainly in European and Asian markets.