To be built in northern Chilean region of Antofagasta, located in the Atacama Desert, the project will feature a thermal storage system that will allow electricity to be generated for about 18 hours without the need for a solar resource.
The Chilean Environmental Service’s evaluation and review committee unanimously voted to approve the project.
Abengoa said the authorities awarded a favorable environmental rating for the project, which will use molten salts tower technology, after verifying the absence of any type of negative impact during the construction and operations phases.
The storage system will allow the plant to generate electricity 24 hours a day and Abengoa claims that the project will be South America’s first non-hydro renewable energy facility to be able to provide baseload power.
Construction work on the project is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2014.
Abengoa currently has 1,223MW of installed capacity in commercial operation, 430MW under construction and 320MW in pre-construction, including both solar-thermal and photovoltaic technology.
Image: The Cerro Dominador solar-thermal plant will feature a thermal storage system. Photo: Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
