Abengoa boasts an impressive portfolio of proprietary assets under concession, all generating income through long-term sales agreements, guaranteed purchase agreements (take or pay) and power purchase agreements.
* CHP figures have significantly increased mainly due to the new 300 MW Mexico facility.
Transmission lines permit efficient and sustainable transport of electricity. Transmission assets are an essential part of the power infrastructure, significantly more so taking into account various factors such as spiraling electricity consumption, the widening gap between generation facilities and consumers, the ever-increasing weight of renewable sources on electricity markets and the growth of emerging countries.
Abengoa is operating and constructing more than 11,000 km in transmission line concessions, double the 2012 figure. The company is one of the leading private concessionaires in Latin America with assets in Peru, Chile and, above all, Brazil, where it secured four new major transmission projects this year, amounting to almost 3,200 km.
Large-scale transmission and distribution systems are one of Abengoa’s business strategies. The company is the sector’s undisputed market leader worldwide, with a big advantage over its competitors. As the company is vertically integrated and boasts an undisputed track record in transmission line engineering and construction, it is fully capable of tapping into the huge opportunities currently emerging worldwide in the area of transmission concessions, with this concession model becoming ever more frequent.
The company has unique capabilities for the management of its own assets under concession. It covers the entire value chain, from promotion, financing, design and engineering, to the supply of equipment, manufacture of metal structures, construction, establishment, operation and maintenance of systems.
These unique capabilities allow the company to transport power, not only to big cities and industrial hubs, but also to remote locations and under extreme conditions. The company faces the future challenge of assuming the concession of Brazil’s highest direct current transmission line, and a transmission line in Peru that will reach a height of up to 3,000 m above sea level. Both projects are currently under construction.
Abengoa has set up various corporate social responsibility projects related to concessions to benefit the communities in the vicinity of the transmission line concessions and to protect the environment.
Abengoa continues to grow in this country’s power transmission market. The following lines were brought into operation in 2013:
In addition, the company has been operating the following transmission lines and 230 kV electrical substations in southern Brazil for Aneel, since 2009. These transmission lines have contributed toward the increased reliability of the region’s electricity system. Abengoa has a 30-year concession for operation and maintenance of these transmission lines.
Abengoa has secured its position of global leadership in the field of solar infrastructures under concession through the construction and bringing into operation of new plants, its ever-increasing participation in new markets worldwide and the promotion of new projects with innovative technologies never before commercially implemented.
Abengoa has global presence, distributing its solar business in the following countries:
In the field of solar technology, 2013 ended with significant growth in geographical diversification of Abengoa’s solar business thanks to commencement of operation of solar thermal plants such as Solana and Shams-1 in such diverse locations as the Arizona desert in the United States and the Abu Dhabi desert in the United Arab Emirates, respectively. Sustainability of this growth is ensured thanks to next year’s completion of projects of paramount importance, including the 280 MW Mojave Solar parabolic trough plant in California. This significant growth has served to drive the continued opening of new markets, as evidenced by this year’s concession of a 110 MW plant in Israel.
Abengoa’s solar infrastructure concessions are divided into the following lines of activity:
This line of activity consists of prospecting ideal locations for solar plants, carrying out the necessary administrative formalities to begin construction, negotiating project financing and construction agreements and identifying potential partners and reaching agreements with them. All these activities are carried out for solar plants that generate electricity, for hybrid plants that harness sunlight along with a conventional energy source and for industrial plants that generate heat for commercial and industrial uses.
Important milestones were reached throughout 2013 in the promotion of plants, serving to secure the company’s position. Among the year’s achievements it is fitting to highlight the commencement of operation of Solana, the world’s largest plant using parabolic trough technology with 280 MW, which is also equipped with a molten salt thermal energy storage system, one if its kind in the United States, to permit production after sunset or during cloudy spells. This year, Abengoa added Liberty Interactive Corporation as an investor in the limited company that manages the plant, with an investment of $300 M. Abengoa is still in charge of management, operation and maintenance. Solana has taken an important step to consolidate its position and gain the trust of the US market in Abengoa, in addition to its technological progress in the manageability of solar power.
Abengoa also completed two major projects this year, with the financing and establishment of two new parabolic trough plants in Spain with an installed capacity of 50 MW each. These two new plants, together with another two with the same characteristics already up and running, make the Extremadura solar platform Europe’s biggest solar facility. Also, operations have begun at Shams-1, the first parabolic trough plant in the Middle East.
In addition, Abengoa has signed a long-term power supply agreement with Israel for a 110 MW parabolic trough plant together with a local partner, namely Shikun & Binui, a global company in the infrastructure and construction sector. The company has also increased its project portfolio in South Africa where it was awarded the contract for a new 100-MW parabolic trough plant with five hours storage, namely Xina Solar One.
The completion of these projects and the endorsement of other previously mentioned innovative projects have made this an unparalleled year for the positioning of Abengoa in new markets, thus securing the company’s continued medium and long-term growth.
The operation of plants that Abengoa developed in previous years is, without doubt, the driving force behind the company’s exponential growth this year. The operation of 23 plants using both solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies with a total installed capacity of 1.2 GW has permitted Abengoa to gain valuable experience in plant operation and maintenance. This know-how is becoming one of our main lines of business given that Abengoa is one of the most experienced companies in the operation of plants of the entire solar power sector. It is without doubt the foundation on which all growth of the company’s solar business is built, and is a solid foundation to achieve the goals set for the coming years.
Solana began operating in 2013, gaining the status of the world’s largest parabolic trough plant with an installed capacity of 280 MW. The power generated at this plant is sold through a 30-year sale-purchase agreement signed by Abengoa with Arizona Public Service (APS), Arizona´s largest electric utility.
Located some 100 km southwest of Phoenix, Arizona, this plant has a solar field with 32,000 collectors and a six-hour molten salt thermal energy storage system, the only one of its kind in the United States. This system permits the generation and distribution of electricity during cloudy spells and after sunset, meeting the peak demand for electricity.
From an environmental perspective, Solana offers clean, contamination and greenhouse gas-free energy, equal to the energy demand of 70,000 homes, curbing annual CO2 emissions by almost 500,000 t.
The Solucar Complex features a series of plants dedicated to commercial operation and technological innovation. The complex boasts the world’s first two commercially operated towers, three parabolic trough and two photovoltaic plants, as well as numerous research, development and innovation facilities, including two pilot tower plants, all of which were constructed and operate independently. In 2013, PS10 celebrated six years in commercial operation, and PS20 four years, surpassing the first year’s operation of the complex’s four towers combined.
The experience gained through operation and maintenance of the seven commercial plants at the Solucar Complex makes Abengoa a leader in solar plant management. Moreover, the first molten salt solar tower has achieved extremely high levels of efficiency, making this technology commercially available in situations where it is necessary to offer clean solutions with very long storage periods.
In 2013, commercial operations began at Solaben 1 and Solaben 6, two of the four independently constructed and operated 50 MW parabolic trough plants that make up the Extremadura Solar Complex. The commencement of operation of both these plants makes this facility the largest solar complex in Europe and one of the largest in the world, with a total production of clean energy meeting the supply needs of some 105,000 homes and curbing annual CO2 emissions by approximately
126,000 t.
Abengoa has a 70 % stake in the Solaben 2 and Solaben 3 plants, while ITOCHU, a global Japanese company, controls the remaining 30 % of these two plants. Abengoa has a 100 % ownership stake in Solaben 1 and Solaben 6.
The construction and operation of the solar complex has created important socio-economic benefits for the region. Its construction required an average of 400 workers per day, and at times up to 1,000. The economic activity generated around the solar complex has also led to growth of the region’s business network, while boosting the services sector.
This complex has two 50 MW parabolic trough plants. The independently constructed and operated Helioenergy 1 and Helioenergy 2 plants are jointly operated by Abengoa´s solar business and E.ON.
The complex, located between the municipalities of Arenas de San Juan, Villarta de San Juan and Puerto Lápice in the province of Ciudad Real, has two identical 50 MW parabolic trough plants, each independently constructed and operated.
The complex has a total of 121,000 mirrors that concentrate sunlight to generate steam at temperatures of up to 400º C.
The facility consists of two independently constructed and operated parabolic trough plants. Both plants are jointly owned by Abengoa and the Japanese conglomerate JGC. Abengoa operates both plants and has a 74 % stake.
Shams-1, the first solar thermal plant in the Middle East, with 100 MW capacity, represents the final step to position Abengoa in a region with enormous potential in the solar power sector. This parabolic trough plant became operational in 2013, with an installed capacity equal to the energy demand of 20,000 homes. Abengoa has a 20% ownership of this plant.
The hybrid integrated solar combined cycle plant operated by Abengoa in Hassi R’Mel, Algeria, continues to satisfactorily meet the operational objectives. This plant has 150 MW capacity, of which 20 MW come from a field of parabolic trough collectors. It is one of the first plants of its kind to be constructed in the world, making Abengoa a pioneering company in the construction and operation of solar plants in North Africa. Abengoa shares ownership of this plant with a strategic partner, namely NEAL (New Energy Algeria).
The hybridization of solar thermal combined cycle plants is an extremely interesting solution at locations with abundant sunlight and low gas prices.
In 2014, operations are expected to get underway at the Mojave and Khi Solar One plants, in California, USA, and South Africa, respectively; both of which will form part of Abengoa’s concession-based business, being yet another example of the company’s drive toward the diversification and internationalization of its business.
In the coming years, it will continue with the expansion of its concession-based business in the international arena.
Desalination is the process of removing salt and other minerals from water. Desalination is one of the most rapidly growing solutions to water shortages. This growth reflects the fact that much of the growing demand for water comes from coastal regions and the sharp drop in costs of this technology over the last decade. The installed global capacity for desalination in 2012 (industrial and municipal) was 75 million m³/day, with a market value of $3,938.3 M. Growth in this market is expected to reach $15,188.4 M by 2018. In particular, the annual growth rate of capital investment in seawater desalination is expected to reach around 19.2 %. The following are predicted to become the main desalination markets in the coming years, in order of size: The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, China and India.
Our mission is to promote, develop and operate water treatment plants, with innovation and technological development as the drivers of growth.
Abengoa’s vision is to consolidate its position as the international market leader in desalination plants, managing proprietary assets while expanding its water treatment and reuse business, including water treatment in the industrial sector.
The desalination division divides its lines of business into:
Construction of the Ténès desalination plant in Algeria is ongoing, which will supply half a million inhabitants and have a capacity of 200,000 m3/day.
Construction is underway of a desalination plant in Ghana, with a capacity of 60,000 m3/day, which will supply drinking water to localities in the metropolitan area of Accra, Theshie, Nungua and Tema.
This section looks at Abengoa’s concession activities in electric and thermal energy (cogeneration), mini hydro plants, specific buildings and other non-standard concessions.
Abengoa is working on different projects under concession:
Aerial view of the Manaus transmission line in the Amazon.
ATS transmission line in Peru.
Solucar complex.
Aerial view of Helioenergy 1 and Helioenergy 2, two 50-MW parabolic trough plants.
50-MW parabolic trough collectors of Solacor 1. In the background, a view of the municipality of El Carpio (Cordoba).
View of Shams-1. First solar thermal plant in the Middle East, with 100 MW of power.
Hassi R’Mel, the 150-MW integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) plant with parabolic trough solar field is located in Algeria.
View of KaXu Solar One. One of the first two solar thermal plants in South Africa, with parabolic trough technology and a capacity of 100 MW and 2.5 hours of thermal storage, located near Pofadder (Northern Cape).
Desalination plant in Skikda (Algeria) with a capacity of 100,000 m3/day, in operation since 2009.
Desalination plant in Qingdao, with a capacity of 100,000 m3/day, in operation since 2013.
The desalination plant under construction in Accra (Ghana) will have a capacity of 60,000 m3/day.
With the construction now having been completed, Abengoa will operate the plant for 20 years.