Ashalim Thermal Solar Power Station (Ashalim Station) is a future solar power station that is under construction in Negev desert, Israel. The station will provide 250 Megawatt and will be the largest in Israel and 5th largest solar power station in the world. Interestingly, that facility will include a 240-meter solar tower standing in the center of 3.15 km² field covered by over 50 000 sun-tracking heliostats with cumulative surface area of over 1 million m² which distinguishes it from the others.
Megalim Solar Power Ltd, a company with a special purpose for Ahalim Station construction, was formed and shares in which belongs to Alstom (25%), BrightSource (25%), and NOY Infrastructure & Energy Investment Fund (50%). The European Investment Bank and the Bank of Hapoalim granted financing for the construction and operation of Ashalim Station.
Alstom, a French based global leader in power generation, will be responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction and for the period of 25 years will provide full operation and maintenance of Ashalim Station. BrightSource will bring heliostats and optical concentrating devices. Thus this project will combine Alstom’s experience in the field of turnkey power plants and BrightSource advanced solar field technology.
Besides of grand construction and technology, the Ashalim project has lots of social advantages. First of all, the electricity generated at Ashalim Station will be enough to supply 120, 000 homes with clean energy. Secondly, the complex will decrease 110, 000 tons of CO gas emissions every year during it’s life period. Lastly, it will create up to 1 000 jobs during the construction period.
The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2017.
