The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a complicated region for CSP. In terms of direct normal irradiance (DNI), the area is ideal. Most of the land is desert, another bonus for CSP. And there is growing energy demand. Yet projects have been slow to take off. The aim of the guide “ISCC in MENA” is to help you maximize the opportunities of integrated solar combined cycles in MENA. In this report you will discover where and how the CSP industry can expand its project pipeline for 2015 and beyond.

1. ISCC in MENA B U S I N E S S I N T E L L I G E N C E
Researched &
produced by:
13 & 14th May, Dubai
In association with:
MENASOL 2015
7th Middle East & North Africa Conference & Expo
In association with MENASOL 2015 (13 &
14th May, Dubai), CSPToday brings you an
exclusive guide on ISCC plants in MENA. It
includes analysis of current ISCC projects,
Saudi Arabian ISCC plants and potential
future sites.
The aim of this guide is to help you maximize
the opportunities of integrated solar
combined cycles in MENA. In the following
pages you will discover where and how the
CSP industry can expand its project pipeline
for 2015 and beyond.
To learn more about the leading solar event
in the Middle East and North Africa, visit:
www.csptoday.com/iscc
www.csptoday.com/iscc
n ISCC: an overview
n Current ISCC projects
n Saudi Arabian ISCC
n Potential future sites
Contents
Solar
Conference of
the Year Winner
Awarded by the Middle
East Solar Industry
Association
MESIA

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ISCC in MENA
ISCC in MENA
One reason is possibly because of the relatively
conservative nature of policy makers and engineering
firms in the region. Renewable energy is still very much
in its infancy in MENA. The appetite for large, high-risk
projects is still limited. Which is maybe why there is
increasing interest in integrated solar combined cycle
(ISCC) plants. These give MENA companies a chance to
try out CSP while working with a standard generating
technology.
Great news for CSP in MENA, then. But the
question for CSP developers is how to position
their technologies to make most of this emerging
opportunity… and where to find potential projects.
ISCC: an overview
ISCCs are a form of hybrid power plant in which a
CSP solar field is used to improve the efficiency of a
combined-cycled plant (see figure 1).
Source: Prof Ulf Herrmann, from ‘National Renewable Energy Laboratory USA Trough Initiative, Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Systems’.
Used with permission.
In theory, any CSP technology could be used in ISCC.
However, all projects to date have relied on parabolic
trough because it is the more widely established
technology and may have certain advantages in the
MENA region (see below). Additionally, it is important
to note that there are significant challenges in
converting existing combined cycle plants into ISCC
projects.
Johannes Kretschmann of Fichtner, the consulting
engineers firm, says: “If it’s an existing plant the design
process is difficult because you are adding steam, so
you need an oversized steam generator.”
For this, it is generally considered far easier to build
an ISCC from scratch rather than converting existing
combined cycle facilities. Furthermore, the conversion
of existing combined cycle plants to ISCC requires
plentiful, cheap land in a high-DNI location, not to
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a complicated region for CSP. In terms of
direct normal irradiance (DNI), the area is ideal. Most of the land is desert, another bonus
for CSP. And there is growing energy demand. Yet projects have been slow to take off.
Fuel
Gas turbine
Solar field
Waste Heat
Recovery System
SteamTurbine
Condenser
Low Pressure
Preheater
DeaeratorExpansion Vessel
Superheater +
Steam Generator
Steam
Generator
Preheater
Reheater

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B U S I N E S S I N T E L L I G E N C E
ISCC in MENA
mention a landscape that is suitable for the installation
of a solar field.
Alternatively, with the right site characteristics it may
be possible to convert an open cycle gas plant to ISCC
with relative ease, since the steam cycle has to be
incorporated in any case. Finally, Dr Luis Crespo of the
European solar thermal association ESTELA points out
that a potentially more efficient way of connecting gas
with CSP would be to build a power tower with large
amounts of molten salt storage and locate an open
cycle gas plant alongside it.
With this configuration, Crespo says, excess output
from either the solar field or the gas plant could be
stored for later re-use, allowing more higher utilisation
of both plants.
Current ISCC projects
Table 1 summarises the ISCC projects currently in
operation or planned worldwide.
Parabolic trough is being used in more than half of
these projects. Its dominance can be attributed to
it being the most established CSP technology and
therefore one that helps to reduce the risk of what is
already potentially a complex project. In addition, the
other technologies each have certain drawbacks that
could restrict their use. For example:
„„ Linear Fresnel solar fields may have difficulty
achieving temperatures high enough to integrate
well with combined cycle operations.
„„ Dish technologies only have a limited deployment
history and may not be desirable for risk-averse
developers.
„„ Power towers will suffer from attenuation losses in
regions with high levels of dust or other airborne
particles.
To date, MENA has been the preferred region for ISCC
development. Prof Ulf Herrmann, executive director

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Project Appli-cation Country Current Status Developers
Gross
Capacity
Techno-logy Owner
Ain-Beni-Mathar
ISCC
ISCC Morocco Operation Abener 20 Parabolic Trough ONE
Archimede ISCC Italy Operation ENEL 5 Parabolic Trough ENEL
Hassi-R'mel ISCC Algeria Operation
Abener; Abengoa; Cofides;
New Energy Algeria;
25 Parabolic Trough Sonatrach
Kuraymat ISCC ISCC Egypt Operation
New and Renewable Energy
Authority
20 Parabolic Trough NREA
Martin Next
Generation Solar
Energy Center
ISCC USA Operation
Florida Power and Light;
Next Era Energy Resources
75 Parabolic Trough FPL
Rende CSP-Biomass
Plant
ISCC Italy Operation Falck Renewables 1 Fresnel MAPNA
Cascades Industrial
CSP Plant
Augmentation Canada Operation Cascades; Rackam; 0.14 Parabolic Trough Cascades
Agua Prieta II ISCC Mexico Construction Abengoa 12 Parabolic Trough
Federal Electricity
Commission
City of Medicine
Hat Concentrating
Solar Thermal
Demonstration
ISCC Canada Construction CityofMedicineHat 1 Parabolic Trough
City of Medicine
Hat
Kogan Creek Solar
Boost
Solar Augmentation
(Coal)
Australia Construction CSEnergy 44 Fresnel CS Energy
Sundt Solar Boost
Solar Augmentation
(Coal)
USA Construction TEP 5 Fresnel
Tucson Electricity
Power
HF Orion Solar Augmentation China Construction HelioFocus 1 Dish
TAIQING Solar
Thermal Power Co
Stillwater CSP-
Geothermal Plant
Augmentation USA Construction ENEL 2 Parabolic Trough EGP
HF StarDust 3 Solar Augmentation Israel Development
HelioFocus; Israel
Corporation Power
0.5 Dish
Israel Electric
Corporation
HF ANDROMEDA
Project
Solar Augmentation China Development HelioFocus 10 Dish IEC
Yazd ISCC ISCC Iran Development MAPNA Group 17 Parabolic Trough
HF CART wheel
Project
Solar Augmentation Israel Development HelioFocus 12 Dish
Israel Electric
Corporation
Dervish CSP Plant
(IRCC)
ISCC Turkey Development eSolar; GE; MetCap; 50 Tower
MetCap Energy
Investments
Al Abdaliyah ISCC ISCC Kuwait Development
Ministry of Electricity and
Water, PartnershipsTechnical
Bureau
60 Parabolic Trough
Ministry of
Electricity and
Water
Duba 1 ISCC ISCC Saudi Arabia Development Saudi Electric Company 50 Parabolic Trough
Saudi Electricity
Company (SEC)
Cosumnes (CPP)
ISCC
ISCC USA Planning
Sacramento Municipal Utility
District
10 Tower (TBC)
Saudi Electricity
Company (SEC)
Mejillones
Solar Augmentation
(Coal)
Chile Planning
GDF Suez; Solar Power
Group;
5 Fresnel GDF Suez
El Borma ISCC ISCC Tunisia Announced STEG 5 Tower SITEP; STEG
Enerstar María Elena
ISCC
ISCC Chile Announced EnerStar 170 Parabolic Trough Enerstar
Waad Al Shamal
Power Plant ISCC
ISCC Saudi Arabia Announced Saudi Electric Company 50 To be confirmed
Saudi Electricity
Company
Ningxia ISCC ISCC China On hold Hanas New Energy Group 92.5 Parabolic Trough
Hanas New
Energy Group
Table 1: ISCC projects
Source: CSP Today Global Tracker.
of the Solar-Institute Jülich in Germany, believes this
preference may be because the technology can act
as a stepping stone between the region’s current
generation technologies and solar. “You are able to go
down the path of transforming your energy system
step-wise,” he says.

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ISCC in MENA
Saudi Arabian ISCC
Within MENA, Saudi Arabia leads ISCC deployment. Dr
Hany Al-Ansary, assistant professor at the Mechanical
Engineering Department of the College of Engineering
at King Saud University, says: “The Saudi Electricity
Company, SEC, is constructing two parabolic trough
plants, each of which is 50MW and configured as
ISCC.”
The Waad Al Shamal and Duba 1 projects are being
financed by the SEC with government funds. This
appears to be the preferred funding option for ISCC in
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Rayyan
Nagadi, director of project and export finance for HSBC
Saudi Arabia confirms: “None of the CSP projects in
the GCC I am aware of have yet approached the market
for financing.”
The Saudi bids were theoretically open to any CSP
technology, although in practice it seems the dusty
conditions found in the country might limit the
application of power towers. Alexandre Allegue, general
manager of solar developer Sun and Life expects
parabolic trough to win out in the market “due to its
reliability.”
Afshin Tafazzoli, business development manager
with Abengoa’s subsidiary Abeinsa, says the projects
in Saudi Arabia are clearly designed to help SEC
investigate the potential of solar power. “These
projects are not optimised with solar,” he says. “It’s
about testing the plants.”
Potential future sites
Table 2 summarises further open or combined cycle
gas plants that may offer potential for solar field
integration. This list is not intended to be exhaustive
and is based on a visual assessment of data on
the Global Energy Observatory database, with site
selection based on the following criteria:
„„ Sufficient distance from shore to avoid the effects of
water vapour and tourist development.
„„ Apparent lack of nearby construction, arable land,
infrastructure or other types of land use.
„„ Availability of sufficient neighbouring land for a solar
field.

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At the 7th Middle East and North Africa
Conference & Expo (MENASOL 2015) these
opportunities will be discussed by leading CSP
companies in the region including Sun&Life, TSK
and Abeinsa among others.
Off-takers from across the region will also present
their schemes for solar development including ONEE
from Morocco, the Kuwait Oil Company, Dubai
Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the
Electricity Regulatory Commission from Jordan.
We hope that the complimentary guide was useful, providing insight into
the opportunities for CSP in MENA.
For further details on the leading solar conference in MENA: www.csptoday.com/iscc
The MENA region is now moving fast for solar!This 2015 you can’t
afford missing MENASOL – winner of the Solar Conference of the
Year MESIA Award.
Get involved today, contact:
Brandon Páramo • T: +44 (0) 207422 4302 • E: brandon@csptoday.com
Plant Country Operator
Gross capac-
ity
Website
Hassi Messaoud Ouest Algeria Sonelgaz Production de l'Electricite 492MW www.sonelgaz.dz
Msila Algeria Sonelgaz Production de l'Electricite 300MW www.sonelgaz.dz
Shabab Egypt East Delta Electricity Production Company 1.1GW www.edepco.com.eg
Amman East Jordan NEPCO 380MW www.nepco.com.jo
Risha Jordan NEPCO 150MW www.nepco.com.jo
Laayoune Morocco ONE 150MW www.one.org.ma
Tan-Tan Morocco ONE 114MW www.one.org.ma
Al Kamil Oman Al Kamil Power 276MW www.alkamilpower.com
Arar Saudi Arabia SEC 310MW www.se.com.sa
Bisha Saudi Arabia SEC 364.2MW www.se.com.sa
Jouf Saudi Arabia SEC 175MW www.se.com.sa
Layla Saudi Arabia SEC 102MW www.se.com.sa
Qaisumah Saudi Arabia SEC 103.4MW www.se.com.sa
Qurayat Saudi Arabia SEC 106MW www.se.com.sa
Qaisumah Saudi Arabia SEC 103.4MW www.se.com.sa
Rafha Saudi Arabia SEC 60MW www.se.com.sa
Riyadh PP9 C D Saudi Arabia SEC 1.16GW www.se.com.sa
Tabuk Saudi Arabia SEC 444MW www.se.com.sa
Table 2: MENA gas plants with potential for ISCC development
Source: CSP Today.