AREVA Solar wins contract for Australian solar/coal-fired integrated project

AREVA Solar has been awarded a major contract to install a 44MW solar thermal augmentation project at a 750MW coal-fired power station in Queensland, Australia, representing the largest solar project in the Southern Hemisphere and the world’s largest solar/coal-fired power augmentation project.

AREVA Solar’s Australian-pioneered Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) technology will be installed at CS Energy’s Kogan Creek Power Station. Construction of the solar boost project is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2011 with commercial operation planned for 2013.

The AUD104.7m (US$109.93m) Kogan Creek Power Station Solar Boost Project represents the largest deployment of AREVA’s solar thermal technology in the world and will generate an additional 44,000MWh of electricity per year.

The innovative solar project will use AREVA’s CLFR superheated solar steam technology to boost the power station’s steam generation system, reliably increasing its electrical output and fuel efficiency. This will be achieved by supplying additional steam to the power station’s turbine, supplementing the conventional coal-fired steam generation process. The technology uses heat from the sun to convert water to steam, with zero emissions.

The Kogan Creek Power Station is located in Queensland’s southwest corner, a site ideally suited for a solar thermal system due to its good solar insolation. The power station is already connected to Australia’s electricity transmission grid, enabling the solar-generated electricity to flow directly into the network to power homes and businesses.

AREVA Solar’s CLFR technology is water-conservative and the most land-efficient renewable energy technology available. The solar steam generators and accompanying system are expected to occupy approximately 30ha of land within the current boundaries of the CS Energy site.

AREVA will build and operate a manufacturing facility to support the Kogan Creek Power Station Solar Boost Project. The new manufacturing facility will serve as a gateway to support future solar thermal project developments in Queensland, a key global solar market.

AREVA Solar is currently working throughout Australia to supplement the steam supply to existing fossil-fueled plants to reduce emissions or increase plant output. The company also offers superheated solar steam generators for standalone solar thermal power plants.

(Press Release)