Due to the fire that occurred yesterday afternoon at the Casablanca solar thermal power plant in the municipality of Talarrubias (Badajoz), service 112 of Extremadura has recommended that the population of Valdecaballeros and Cañamero (already in Cáceres) remain confined to their homes during the night, closing doors and windows. Both populations are separated by about 30 kilometers and between them they add about 2,700 inhabitants.
The fire has caused a large cloud of smoke that could be toxic that can be seen for several kilometers. The origin of the fire has been an oil leak in the thermosolar that has come to a boil, as reported by the Valdecaballeros City Council.
The fire is fully controlled and perimeter and the firefighters, who have been doing damping and cooling work all day, are waiting for the oil that has burned out to be consumed and for the pressure to drop to be able to close a 300-millimeter valve in the branch where the liquid has come out, according to the same sources.
The recommendation launched both by 112 Extremadura and by the city councils of both locations on social networks also includes avoiding driving through the streets as much as possible until the incident is controlled.
The plant has an installed capacity of 50 MW with an approximate production of 175 GWh/year and electricity is generated from solar radiation, by heating a thermal fluid (thermal oil or HTF) up to 390ºC, which, at its At the same time, it heats water, generating steam, this being what moves a turbine connected to an electric generator.
Early this Sunday it has been confirmed that the fire at this solar thermal plant has been extinguished and all the alerts and recommendations that were taken last night in order to protect the population are no longer in effect, according to the Valdecaballeros town hall.
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