The largest renewable energy project in Israel – a vast thermo-solar power plant near Ashalim in the Negev – was inaugurated on Thursday at a ceremony attended by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and senior government and business officials.
Spanning approximately 390 hectares, or the equivalent of over 300 football fields, the 121-megawatt solar power facility will supply electricity to approximately 70,000 households in Israel, or approximately 0.75% of all electricity generated in Israel.
Unlike nearby photovoltaic (PV) power plants, which directly convert sunlight into electricity, the thermo-solar power plant near Ashalim absorbs solar energy through over 450,000 rotating parabolic mirrors, forming long troughs and collector loops. Synthetic oil inside the loops is heated to 390°C, and by using heat exchangers, thermal energy is mixed with water to power steam turbines and produce electricity.
The $1.13 billion plant, a public-private partnership (PPP), was constructed by Negev Energy, a special purpose company held by Shikun & Binui Renewable Energy, Israeli investment fund Noy Fund and Spanish engineering group TSK. The Noy Fund and TSK joined the project in April 2016, after Spanish company Abengoa, a former project partner, went bankrupt.
The power plant, Steinitz said, will contribute significantly to Israel’s target of making 10% of the country’s electricity supply renewable by 2020, and 17% by 2030. At full capacity, the plant will reduce approximately 245,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel sources, equivalent to taking 50,000 vehicles off the road. The inauguration comes as Israel ramps up its investment in and construction of environmental infrastructure, which includes a commitment to the construction of two new wind farms by the year 2021.
Minister Steinitz said: “We’re going to meet our target next year, but we are already considering increasing the goal for 2030 and increase the volume of renewables”. He added: “This is under examination by the Electricity Authority. In the near future, we will terminate the use of coal and other polluting fuels in Israel altogether, and close the coal turbines in Hadera and later on in Ashkelon. It will be only natural gas and renewables, mainly solar systems”.
