Feasibility study for South African solar park

Fluor has won the contract for the feasibility study into a proposed 5 GW solar power plant in South Africa's Northern Cape province. If it goes ahead the scheme could see an investment of US$ 20 billion into what would become one of the largest solar energy plants in the world.

The next stage in the project will be the unveiling of Fluor's detailed master plan for the scheme at a conference for investors in the scheme on 28 and 29 October in Upington, Northern Cape. Once detailed designs have been developed, South Africa's Department of Energy intends to set up a Solar Park Authority to manage and develop the project.

The plant is expected to feature a variety of technologies, including photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) plants as well as concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies such as power tower and parabolic trough collectors.