Solar Tank Explodes at SEGS II Power Plant

According to the

Los Angeles Times, a storage tank exploded on February 26 at the

SEGS II solar power plant in Barstow, California. The 900,000-gallon (3.4 million l) tank held Therminol, a hydraulic fluid that is used as a heat-transfer fluid, and was still burning four hours after the explosion. Heated to 850°F (450°C) by solar-thermal collectors, the fluid’s heat produces steam for generating electricity. Nine SEGS plants with a total capacity of more than 350 megawatts were built by Luz International during the 1980s and in 1990. While Luz International ultimately went bankrupt because of investment tax credit changes in California, the SEGS plants have been operated very successfully (except for this accident) by a successor company. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the explosion, though a half-square-mile (1.3 km²) area was evacuated. The cause of the explosion was unknown.