PRESS RELEASE
A delegation from the South African Government visits Gemasolar
Fuentes de Andalucía, Seville, September 15, 2012– The Gemasolar solar thermal plant, located in Fuentes de
Andalucia (Seville, Spain), received a visit of a delegation from the Government of South Africa, headed
by the Minister of Energy, Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, and by the South African ambassador in Spain, Fikile
Magubane.
Gemasolar is the first commercial concentrated solar power plant with central tower receiver and molten
salt storage technology. Since entering into commercial operation in May 2011, Gemasolar has awakened
a great interest among media, the international industry and political authorities, all thanks to its
technological innovations.
The delegation was received by the Performance Guarantee Manager of SENER, Sergio Relloso, the
General Manager of Torresol Energy, Álvaro Lorente, the Technical Director of Operation and
Maintenance, Santiago Arias, and the Plant Manager, Gonzalo Azcárraga, who accompanied the
delegation through their installations and explained them how the plant worked.
Gemasolar is the first Torresol Energy plant connected to the grid. With 19.9 MW nominal power,
Gemasolar is capable of generating 110 GWh of clean and safe energy to supply 27,500 households every
year and reducing annual CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons.
More information:
Oihana Casas. Comunication. SENER Tel (+34) 91 807 7318 / 679 314 085
www.sener.es
About SENER
SENER is a private engineering and technology group founded in 1956, which seeks to offer its clients the most advanced
technological solutions and which enjoys international recognition, thanks to its independence and its commitment to
innovation and quality. SENER has a workforce of more than 5,200 professionals and a turnover of €1.16 billion (2011 figures).
SENER engages in the specific activities of Engineering and Construction, and also has industrial holdings in companies involved
in Energy and Environment, as well as in Aeronautics.
The Engineering and Construction Division, SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A. has become one of the leading Spanish engineering
firms, with a turnover of more than €653 million (2011 figures), over 2,200 employees and offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao,
Valencia and Seville (Spain), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Algiers (Algeria), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Busan (South Korea), Lisbon
(Portugal), Mexico City (Mexico), Okayama (Japan), San Francisco (USA) and Warsaw (Poland).
About Torresol Energy
Torresol Energy, an alliance between the companies SENER and MASDAR, was created with the purpose of becoming a leader in
the concentrated solar power (CSP) sector, with the goal of promoting technological development and operating large
concentrated solar power plants around the world, especially in the so-called “solar belt”: Southern Europe, including Spain,
Northern Africa, the Middle East and the Southwestern USA.
Every new Torresol Energy project will introduce and test new technologies with SENER’s support in order to make
Concentrated Solar Power an economically competitive option and thus make it a real, viable, ecological and sustainable
alternative to traditional energy. In this regard, the protection of the environment for future generations is one of Torresol
Energy's core commitments.
The company currently has three solar plants in operation in Spain: the 19.9 MW Gemasolar plant with central tower and
heliostat field technology located in Fuentes de Andalucia, Seville, and Valle 1 and Valle 2, twin 50 MW installations with
parabolic trough technology located in San Jose del Valle, Cadiz.
Links
www.sener.es
www.torresolenergy.com
More information:
Oihana Casas. Comunication. SENER Tel (+34) 91 807 7318 / 679 314 085
www.sener.es