First Part of Massive Spanish Solar Power Plant to Startup in April

[jpak]

http://www.greenoptions.com/node/3206

MADRID (Reuters) - The first part of a major 300 megawatt (MW) solar power operation in southern Spain is finished and could start producing electricity in April, its owner Abengoa said on Tuesday.

The first of two solar thermal power plants is finished and now being prepared for production, with a capacity of 11 MW.

Construction of a second tower, with 20 MW of potential, started last year. Both use mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays onto the top of a 100 meter (300 foot) tower where they produce steam to drive a turbine.

Santiago Seage, managing director of Abengoa's solar division, said it was the first commercial plant in the world to use this technology.

<not much more>