Agua Prieta II

Located in Sonora, Agua Prieta II is the first hybrid power center in Mexico, consisting of a solar park and a combined cycle plant. This technology is referred to as Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC), and is the third project of its kind developed by Abengoa, a Spanish company dedicated to developing sustainable energy projects. Taking advantage of Sonora’s intense solar irradiation, the first phase of development consisted of a solar park with 104 Abengoa parabolic solar components, totaling an installed capacity of 12MW, which will be spread out across 85,000m2.

The second phase comprised a combined-cycle power plant fueled by natural gas with a capacity for generating 464.4MW. This natural gas will be imported from the US and supplied through a pipeline located 2km offsite. The combined cycle unit will be interconnected with the solar park, forming a hybrid power generation plant.

The facility includes two gas turbines, one steam turbine, and a heat exchanger, as well as cooling, condensing, and power systems. A modular water treatment facility will be installed to treat greywater, the only source of water available, and produce clean water for the plant and to clean the solar components. The project will also have two transmission lines and three substations.

The Global Environment Facility provided US$49.3 million for the solar park, while the World Bank supported CFE in financing the combined cycle plant, which has an estimated cost of $US350 million. Aligned with Mexico’s clean energy targets and Abengoa’s penchant for sustainable energy projects, Agua Prieta II will prevent 19,080 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions from being released into the atmosphere every year.