Abengoa announces completion of solar fields at MBR Solar Park
Firm is also involved in the construction of the world’s largest solar-gas hybrid plant, Waad Al-Shamal, in Saudi Arabia
Abengoa has completed the construction of three solar fields of parabolic trough collectors at what’s billed as the world’s largest solar complex, in Dubai. The fields with a capacity of 200MW each were built at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (MBR), located in the Saih al Dahal area, 50km south of Dubai.
According to a statement, the firm recently installed the last of the 6,360 parabolic trough collectors. The project involved the assembly of more than 160,000 tonnes of structures and is said to have broken production records, having installed up to 86 collectors per week.
Abengoa said it was responsible for providing the technology, design, engineering and construction of the three parabolic trough plants for the Shanghai Electric Group. The three plants are part of Phase IV of the MBR Solar Park, where a molten salt central receiver technology plant with a thermal storage capacity of 13.5 hours is also being built. The salt plant, as well as Phase IV of the MBR Solar Park, are being developed by Noor Energy 1 PSC, a company owned by DEWA (Dubai Water and Electricity Authority), Acwa Power and Silk Road Fund.
The statement notes that Abengoa has consolidated its position as a world leader in the construction of solar thermal plants, in which it has an installed capacity of 1.9GW, representing 30% of worldwide production.
The firm notes it has strengthened its position as a player in the Middle East. It is said to have an extensive portfolio that includes recently awarded projects such as the Jubail 3A reverse osmosis desalination plant in Saudi Arabia and the Tawelaah desalination plant in the UAE. The latter has a capacity of 909,000cu/m per day and will be the largest of its kind in the world, the statement concluded.
