Largest solar-powered desalination plant in the world
Subbiano Arezzo, Italy, February 2020 – Spanish company Abengoa is expected to finish work in March 2021 on the world’s largest solar-powered desalination plant in Agadir, Morocco. Tesar contributed an important part to the project by delivering 18 dry-type transformers.
The $364.6 million project is expected to produce 275,000 cubic metres per day with a maximum capacity of 450,000 cubic metres of water per day. The water is expected to be used for consumption for more than 70,000 inhabitants as well as for irrigating large areas of agricultural fields in the Chtouka region. The Chtouka region is an important driver for the Moroccan economy and employs about 100,000 people in the agricultural sector.
Harsh climatic conditions, global warming and cycles of drought over the last ten years in Morocco have been a major cause for concern. Especially since the country’s population is expected to reach 38 million in 2030. Desalination of seawater appears to be one of Morocco’s strategies to meet chronic water shortages. Tesar is a main actor to support this technology.
Some specifications for the project:
- A total of 18 cast resin transformers
- Power ratings between 630 kVA and 3150 kVA
- Copper windings
- IP31 with forced cooling
- Delivered in January 2020
Tesar already successfully collaborated with Abengoa for the realization of the desalination plant in Chennai, India. The company is well-known and stands for the high reliability of its products.
About Abengoa
Abengoa is a Spanish company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the energy and environment sectors, generating electricity from renewable resources, converting biomass into biofuels and producing drinking water from sea water. The company was founded in 1941 in Sevilla, Spain.
About Tesar
Tesar is part of the Swiss-based R&S Group, a leading provider of electrical infrastructure products in key markets. With manufacturing facilities and offices in Europe, the Middle East and South America, R&S is a major supplier of transformers and switches for customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors.