Construction of the world’s largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant is to begin later this year after Total and Abengoa Solar were selected to partner Masdar of the UAE in the project.
French oil firm Total and Spain’s Abengoa Solar will form a joint venture with Masdar to develop, build, operate and maintain the Shams 1 plant in Madinat Zayed, 120 km southwest of Abu Dhabi. The 100 MW plant will be the first of its kind in the Middle East.
Shams 1 is one of Masdar’s flagship projects and will consist of 768 parabolic trough solar collectors extending over an area of 2.5 square km. Construction of the plant will take two years.
The selection of two partners by Masdar marks an important milestone in the project, according to Dr Sultan Al-Jaber, CEO of Masdar. The UAE-based firm is spearheading the country’s efforts to create a thriving renewable energy industry by investing in projects and technology development at home and abroad.
“I am very proud of the announcement we are making today because this project, which will be the first utility scale, commercial solar power project in the UAE, represents the translation into reality of the vision the Abu Dhabi leadership had for renewable energy in the Emirate,” said Al-Jaber. “Shams 1 will allow Masdar to transfer to Abu Dhabi the know-how and expertise we have gained from our involvement in developing world-class renewable energy projects abroad.”
Shams 1 is registered as a project under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), making it eligible for carbon credits. It is the first CSP plant to be registered under this programme.
The project also represents a large step forward for Total in the CSP field. The company has been active in photovoltaic solar energy technology since 1983.
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