Wind Energy

Gemasolar Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Achieves 24-Hour Operation

The Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant, located in Fuentes de Andalucía (Seville), is a property of Torresol Energy, a joint venture between the engineering and technology group SENER and Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy initiative. SENER has been responsible for supplying all of the technology and the engineering detail design for Gemasolar, and for leading the EPC and commissioning works of the plant.

Gemasolar is the first of three concentrated solar energy projects that the newly formed partnership has financed at $1.4 billion US. Raising this amount for first of its kind technology at commercial scale shows what Masdar and SENER are jointly capable of as leaders in strong, credible solar technology.

The first of the three plants, the 20 MW Gemasolar solar thermal project in Fuentes Andalucía, Spain, will power 100% of 27,500 Spanish households’ electricity needs, all day and most of the night, under a 25-year regulated tariff by the Spanish Government.

Torresol Energy’s Gemasolar project received €171 million financing through a transaction that involved several leading European financial institutions including Banco Popular, Banesto, ICO and the European Investment Bank.

Enrique Sendagorta, President of Terresol Energy, stated: “We want to become a global company that develops the use of concentrated solar power as a sustainable source of power and therefore contribute to the protection of the environment for the future generations.

By José Santamarta, www.torresolenergy.com/