Acciona and Abengoa to construct Cerro Dominador CSP plant in Chile

A consortium of Acciona and Abengoa has signed a contract to construct the Cerro Dominador concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Chile.

As part of the contract, Acciona , which has 51% stake in the consortium, will be responsible for the construction of the 110 MW CSP plant.

The CSP plant, which is claimed to be the first of its kind in Latin America upon completion, will connect the Abengoa-built 100 MW photovoltaic plant which was commissioned six months ago, combining CSP and PV to form 210MW renewable energy complex.

The project is spread across an area of 146 hectares, and will feature 10,600 heliostats and generate clean energy for 24 hours, with a 17.5 hours thermal storage.

The construction work of the plant, which is owned by Cerro Dominador which is in turn owned by funds managed by EIG Global Energy Partners, is expected to resume this month following the consortium’s received notice to proceed.

The plant is located in María Elena, in the Atacama Desert, in the Region of Antofagasta, and is expected to prevent the emission of 640,000t of CO₂ annually while the complex will avoid a total 870,000t of CO₂  emissions per year.

The energy complex will supply clean energy through 15-year energy purchase agreements which were signed with distributors in 2014.

The construction of the Cerro Dominador CSP plant will employ over 1,000 people during the construction peak with priority offered to residents from the region’s municipalities, and contribute to the local economy.

Cerro Dominador will represent Acciona’s fifth solar thermal power plant built by the company outside of Spain.

Abengoa will act as the technology partner for the engineering and construction of CSP plants.