Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, design and start-up of the new solar-thermal plant in the Atacama Desert, which will comprise a solar field of 1,280 parabolic trough collectors.
Abengoa, the international company that develops innovative technology solutions for sustainable development in the energy and environment sectors, will undertake its first concentrating solar power (CSP) project using parabolic trough technology in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
The Desert is considered to have one of the highest levels of solar radiation on the planet. The plant, which will require an investment of $12 million, will be capable of supplying heat in an efficient and sustainable way to the production processes of Minera El Tesoro, a subsidiary of Anafagasta Minerals based in northern Chile.
Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, design and start-up of the new solar-thermal plant in the Atacama Desert, which will comprise a solar field of 1,280 parabolic trough collectors. In energy terms, the plant will enable Minera El Tesoro to further reduce its current use of fossil fuels by more than 50%.
In addition to the significant energy and fuel savings and in line with Abengoa’s philosophy on sustainability and respect for the environment, the plant’s design will enable the mining corporation to reduce its carbon emissions by around 10,000 tonnes of CO2 for every year that the plant is operational, equivalent to the CO2 emissions from 65,000 round-the-world trips in an aeroplane.
This initial project demonstrates the potential of Abengoa’s technology to efficiently supply industrial steam, as well as consolidating its position as a leader in developing sustainable and innovative solutions in the environment and energy sectors in Chile, a country in which it has operated since 1987.
Abengoa (MCE: ABG) is an international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainable development in the energy and environment sectors, generating electricity from the sun, producing biofuels, desalinating sea water and recycling industrial waste.
www.abengoa.com
