SAUDI-based Acwa Power has awarded contracts to a consortium of EPC majors Acciona, Sener and TSK to build the Noor 1 160 MW CSP plant in Morocco and Bokpoort 50 MW CSP plant in South Africa. Dow Chemical has been selected to supply the heat transfer fluid for both projects.

The EPC leaders and Dow said they were committed to supporting the growth of concentrated solar power (CSP) in emerging markets in the Middle East and Africa region.

As the MEA begins to embrace and invest in large-scale CSP projects like Noor 1 and Bokpoort, proven technology leaders are being called in to help build these world-class power generation facilities,” remarked Sherif Badran, commercial director for Dow Performance & Specialty Chemicals, Mena.

Dow’s Dowtherm A was the heat transfer fluid of choice for these plants, he pointed out.

On the working of CSP, Badran said: “It uses parabolic mirrors to reflect and magnify heat from the sun onto a closed circulating loop containing Dowtherm A heat transfer fluid. The fluid collects the heat energy and transports it to a power station where it is used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity.”

Solar power technology like CSP offers many advantages in regions that require reliable new sources
of energy.