Picture: THINKSTOCK
Picture: THINKSTOCK

I AM concerned about some of our solar thermal power plants. These are plants where huge arrays of mirrors focus the sun’s rays on pipes containing a fluid that is heated. The heat becomes steam that drives a turbine to produce electricity.

One of the first of these plants, KaXu Solar One, located near Pofadder in the Northern Cape, started operating early last year. It has a total installed capacity of 100MW, plus 2.5 hours of storage in molten salts.

Abengoa Solar, which built, operates and maintains the plant, owns 51% of the project.

Abengoa is also the 51% shareholder in Khi Solar One near Upington, a 50MW plant with two hours of storage, that started operation in January. Abengoa is a 40% shareholder in Xina Solar One, which should come into operation next year.

However, the New York Times of March 18 reports that Abengoa is scrambling to avoid what would be the largest bankruptcy in Spanish corporate history. Creditors are taking it to court as losses mount and financial support disappears. There does not appear to have been any comment on this in our local press.

I fear this may affect our Department of Energy’s renewable energy programme unless it is addressed promptly. There would appear to be about R20bn at stake.

Prof Philip Lloyd
Energy Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology