A consortium led by Saudia Arabia’s ACWA Power International has won the contract to build phases two and three of the Noor solar complex in Ouarzazate, Morocco.
The contract to build the two concentrating solar power (CSP) plants was awarded by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) and will add 350 MW of renewable energy to Morocco’s grid.
Other firms bidding to win the contract included Abengoa, a consortium of GDF Suez and Masdar, and an EDF-Alstom joint venture.
ACWA and Spanish engineering group Sener will design, build and commission the 200 MW Noor 2 plant and the 150 MW Noor 3 project. Noor 2 will use Sener’s parabolic trough technology while Noor 3 will use a central tower and an array of heliostats.
A consortium comprising both ACWA and Sener is also building the Noor 1 plant, which will have a capacity of 160 MW and use parabolic tough technology.
All of the plants include molten salt energy storage systems that enable them to continue producing electricity without sunlight.
Noor 1 will enter into service in 2015, while Noor 2 and Noor 3 will begin operations in 2017.
