Sabkha Tah
Sabkha Tah is a sabkha (or chott) located in Morocco between Tarfaya and Laayoune, at a distance of 14 km from the Atlantic Ocean and 160 km from the Canary Islands, its area is 250 km² with a length of 30 km and a width of 10 km. Its depth is 60 m below the level of the sea.Use "Google Maps Find Altitude" click on Satellite then click in the Sabkha to measure the altitude of its depth.
The arrangement of Sabkha Tah for the production of electricity is a project of the ONE (Office National d'Electricité), Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment (Morocco ).
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The following text is in the masen site :
"The Sebkhat-Tah site, with a surface of 360 sq. Kilometers, is located to the South of the city of Tarfaya, and 11 kilometers (6.88 miles) from the Ocean. Characterized by an important depression of a height of 60 meters (180 feet) and an interesting wind potential, this site could be used as an energy compound, integrating in addition to a solar plant, a wind farm, and a pumped storage water plant.
Concerning the connection to the grid of the solar thermal plant to be developed on that site, one should note that this zone is served by 225 kV lines, to be strengthened , in the medium term, by a 400 kV line between the cities of Agadir and Laayoune.
Concerning the water resources, the open-circuit cooling would be made through a seawater intake, as is the case for the classical thermal plants, due to the proximity of the site with respect to the sea (11 kilometers/ 6.88 miles)."
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In my view, the realization of this project of power generation and energy storage is an opportunity to create, for free, a very large lake in Sebkha-Tah, the lake would have a great tourist value, it would be possible to create wonderful parks around it as well as sea water desalination plants to produce large quantities of salt for general consumption and for snow plowing.
If the creation of the lake results in a slight climate change, it would certainly be to the advantage of the region.
D.B.
17 Mars 2013
