Solel Solar Systems has opened a $9 million solar reflector manufacturing facility in Finland. The facility is located in Akaa, about 200 kilometers north of Helsinki.

It has the capacity to produce 240,000 parabolic solar reflectors a year, enough to power a 50 MW power plant.

The factory, launched in partnership with glass processing technology company Glaston, is for the production of parabolic solar reflectors used in Solel's solar field projects. Glaston has tailored its solutions to meet Solel's technical requirements.

Avi Brenmiller, chief executive officer and President, Solel Solar said the new factory will help the company to advance its SunField LP solar fields in Spain and around the world.

For Solel, the development comes at a stage when it has already announced a number of contracts to supply solar thermal technology to Spanish developers. It recently completed the re-supply of most of the solar receivers for the solar power plants under commercial operation in California's Mojave Desert. The company's American division, Solel USA, has an agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company to deliver 553 MW of solar power from the Mojave Desert by 2012.