Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy and sustainable technology specialist, is reportedly planning to inaugurate and connect its 100MW Shams 1 CSP project on 17 March.
According to Gulf News, Masdar has confirmed the inauguration date which will also see the project connect to the grid.
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Located near Madinat Zayed around 120km southwest of Abu Dhabi, the project covers more than 2.5 square kilometres of land and is said to be one of the largest CSP plants in the world.
It was designed and developed by Shams Power Company, a joint venture established by Masdar, Spain’s Abengoa and France’s Total. The facility is equipped with 258,048 parabolic trough mirrors, 192 solar collector assembly loops, 768 parabolic trough collectors and 27,648 absorber pipes.
It is expected to generate an estimated 210 GWh of electricity every year which is said to be enough to power 20,000 homes.
Masdar holds a 60% stake in the project while Abengoa and Total each have a 20% share.
The US$600 million project was funded by 10 major financial institutions including BNP Paribas, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Société Générale and the Bank of Toyko, with BNP Paribas acting as financial advisor.
The 100MW project will bring Abu Dhabi one step closer to reaching its goal of providing 7% of its energy capacity through renewable sources by the year 2020.
