SES Ouarzazate

The station is located in the western part of the Sahara Desert ^[3] in the Atlas Mountains.

The station can store energy in the form of heated , which allows generating electricity at night ^[4] . The first stage has a heat accumulator with a capacity of 3 hours. The second and third stages, which should be built by 2017 and 2018, will have heat accumulators with a capacity of 5 to 8 hours ^{[5] [6]} . That will allow to cover peak evening loads, in the winter from 17:00 to 22:00, and in the summer from 18:00 to 23:00 ^[7] . After completion of construction, the station will occupy 2500 hectares.

The site for the Ouarzazat SES was chosen in 2011 and was part of a Desertec project worth € 400 billion to provide Europe with electricity transmitted, including under the Strait of Gibraltar ^{[8] [9] [10]} . The project was developed by the Spanish consortium TSK- Acciona - .

The construction of the station was financed by the largest banks ^[11] , among which were: the European Investment Bank , the World Bank ^{[12] [13] [14]} . However, at the end of 2012, many investors, including Spain, Bosch and Siemens left the project, and Morocco found an alternative sponsor in the person of the African Development Bank ^{[15] [16]} .

According to preliminary estimates of the SES, Ouarzazate will annually use from 2.5 to 3 million m ^{3 of} water for technological needs ^[4] . The main consumers will be: the first stage (Noor I) with wet cooling, the second and third stages (Noor II and III) with dry cooling, as well as the field of heliostats, in need of regular cleaning of reflectors ^{[17] [18]} . Due to the large volumes of water consumption, a special water supply system with a length of over 10 km from the nearest reservoir was built ^{[19] [20] [16]} .

In December 2015, the power plant gave the first current ^[21] .

After completion of construction, divided into four lines, the total peak capacity will be 580 MW ^{[3] [9]} . Such companies as and others participated in the construction and design of the power plant. Parts for construction and installation were made in different countries of the world, including France and other states ^{[22] [23]} . The largest and heaviest parts arrived in the city of Nador , located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in northern Morocco. After that, they were delivered by road to a solar power station under construction ^[24] .

The initial cost of construction was € 2.1 billion ^[4] .

The first phase ( eng. Noor 1 ) is a solar thermal power plant with parabolic cylinders ^{[22] [25]} . On February 4, 2016, the King of Morocco Mohammed VI in a solemn ceremony and in the presence of numerous guests, among whom were: Segolene Royal , ^{[K 1]} , Bertrand Pikkar , launched the first stage ^{[3] [11] [26]} .

Main characteristics ^[26] :

• area: 480 ha;
• power: 160 MW;
• heat accumulator capacity: 3 hours;
• construction cost: 7 billion dirhams (approx. $ 777 million).

Half a million heliostats have been installed at the station ^[27] . During construction, 1409 temporary jobs were created ^[17] .

The second stage ( eng. Noor 2 ) is a solar thermal power plant using parabolic cylinders as in the first stage. The official start of construction took place at the solemn commissioning ceremony of the first stage on February 4, 2016 ^[26] .

Main characteristics ^{[7] [26]} :

• area: 680 ha ;
• power: 200 MW;
• heat accumulator capacity: 5 - 7 hours;
• design annual electricity generation: 600 million kW * hour;
• construction cost: € 810 million.

In order to save water, dry cooling will be used ^[17] .

The third phase ( eng. Noor 3 ) - tower solar power plant (BSES) ^[19] . The official start of construction took place at the solemn commissioning ceremony of the first stage on February 4, 2016 ^[26] .

Main characteristics ^{[7] [26]} :

• area: 750 ha;
• power: 150 MW;
• heat accumulator capacity: 5 - 8 hours;
• design annual electricity generation: 500 million kW * h ;
• construction cost: € 645 million.

In order to save water, dry cooling will be used ^[17] .

The fourth stage ( eng. Noor 4 ) is a solar power station with photovoltaic panels with a peak power of 80 MW.

Solar power station will be a good tourist place. It is planned to build a tourist center with a viewing platform, in which there will be visual aids and materials explaining the principle of operation of the power plant ^[17] . Already during the construction of the SES, it was visited by official delegations, which included ^[19] : , and other well-known politicians.

Sources

• The world's largest solar station opened in Morocco

Video

•   Aerial View Station