The Cerro Dominador concentrated solar power plant, the first in Chile and Latin America, installs its solar receiver at a height of 220 meters

This is one of the latest milestones in the construction of the solar thermal project being carried out by Acciona and Abengoa in the Atacama desert (Chile) and owned by EIG Global Energy Partners.
Weighing 2,300 tons, this highly complex piece will concentrate the solar radiation projected from the 10,600 heliostats surrounding the tower.
It is the first time that this maneuver has been carried out in a project of this type worldwide.

The Cerro Dominador concentrated solar power project, owned by EIG Global Energy Partners and built by ACCIONA and Abengoa in the Atacama desert in Chile, has starred, in recent weeks, one of the key milestones before its next start-up: the hoisting and installation of your solar receiver at 220 meters high. It was located in the highest part of the complex’s central tower, which is surrounded by 10,600 heliostats.

Specifically, the maneuver was completed in recent weeks, with the positioning of the receiver (a highly complex piece weighing 2,300 tons) in the foundation octagon, located 220 meters high in the central tower of the solar thermal plant. The function of the receiver is to concentrate the reflected solar radiation from the heliostats that are located around the 250-meter tower and, thus, heat the salts that will be stored to generate electricity.

The complete maneuver lasted a week from the entry of the receiver into a cavity located at the base of the tower. Once inside, with 16 hydraulic industrial jacks, the lifting process was carried out to the top of the construction. The ascent speed did not exceed 5 meters per hour, due to safety requirements and given the technical complexity of the entire procedure.

“We are very proud to have achieved this milestone. We continue to make steady progress in the construction of this iconic concentrating solar power project for the region, ”said Fernando González, CEO of Cerro Dominador.

«It is the first time that this maneuver has been carried out worldwide in this type of project», as explained by Abengoa’s project manager in Cerro Dominador, Héctor Berlangieri, who also explained that the conceptual idea and operation engineering arise from the Spanish company.

For his part, Luis Pérez, ACCIONA’s site manager on the project, explained the great technical complexity of this hoisting maneuver: “Full control is needed over the receiver’s ascent speed, limited to approximately 6 meters per hour. We are really proud to participate in a project as unique as this one and the commitment that we are all showing to get it going.”