Cameto participates in the construction of the Ouarzazate solar thermal plant, in Morocco

The engineering and boilermaking company Cameto has participated in the construction of the Noor I project, the first phase of the Ouarzazate solar thermal plant, which is one of the largest energy projects in the world being built in Morocco.

Cameto has been contracted by the EPC consortium, which is made up of the Spanish companies Acciona Industrial, TSK and Sener, which has built the plant for the Saudi company Acwa Power, concessionaire of this important project.

Cameto supplies the pylons for the Ouarzazate plant

Cameto has been responsible for the manufacturing and supply of the plant’s pylons. The pylons are the structural elements on which the mirror system of the solar thermal plant is installed.

For the Ouarzazate project, the engineering company from La Mancha has developed different models of pylons, always meeting the most demanding requirements established by the construction consortium.

The importance of Cameto’s contribution to this project is key, since the manufacture of pylons has made possible the assembly and installation of nearly half a million mirrors that serve to generate enough electricity to supply 135,000 homes.

Spanish technology for a large solar thermal project

The technology installed in this solar thermal plant uses parabolic trough collectors and a three-hour energy storage system using molten salts that allows electricity to be generated in the absence of solar radiation.

The base technology for the plant’s solar collection is entirely Spanish, and Cameto is part of the companies that have made it possible.

The Noor I Thermosolar Complex in Ouarzazate

The first phase of the complex, called Noor I, is located near the city of Ouarzazate, at the gates of the Sahara desert and at the foot of the Atlas mountain range. In this location, the magnificent solar and environmental conditions offered by this area of the Moroccan province of Ouarzazate are taken advantage of.

The plant occupies 480 hectares, has a capacity of 160 megawatts and its development has involved an investment of 500 million euros.

By itself, this project is one of the most important that Spanish companies in the solar thermal sector have developed on the African continent. But the truth is that this plant, whose construction and commissioning was completed in March 2016, is only one of the four phases contemplated by the Ouarzazate solar thermal megaproject.

When the four phases of this gigantic solar thermal plant are operational, Ouarzazate will be one of the largest in the world, with more than 3,000 hectares of surface and a total of 580 megawatts of power.

With the delivery of the plant and its commissioning, Cameto has closed one of its most important solar thermal projects, overcoming the challenge of fulfilling its contract in this globally relevant solar thermal project located at the gates of the Sahara desert.”