GE's turbines power up South Korea's Naepo district heating plant

The Naepo district heating plant in Naepo City, South Korea, is powered by GE Vernova’s H-Class combined cycle equipment and has officially started operating.

The new district heating plant is owned by Naepo Green Energy Co., Ltd. It provides approximately 500MW of electricity to the national grid and steam for district heating purposes for over 100,000 of Naepo’s citizens.

The combined cycle plant is equipped with a GE Vernova 7HA.02 gas turbine, H65 generator, an STF-D650 Steam Turbine powering an H35 generator, a heat recovery steam generator, and condenser.

The new plant has replaced a planned solid refuse fuel boiler plant and supports the Naepo District's efforts to transition towards more sustainable and efficient power generation and heating solutions.

"We’re proud that GE’s H-Class technology supported this first of its kind fuel conversion of the Naepo cogeneration plant. Changing the main energy source of the heat source facility from waste solid fuel (SRF) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) leads to significant improvements in fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and enhanced cost-effectiveness," said Ramesh Singaram, president & CEO for GE Vernova’s Gas Power business in Asia.

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According to GE, their HA technology performs at close to 64% efficiency in combined cycle mode and over 91% efficiency in district heating mode.

Added Singaram, “By capturing and reusing waste heat or steam that would otherwise be released into the environment, the plant increases energy output while reducing carbon emissions per unit of fuel consumed and supporting the transition towards a lower carbon future in the country.”

In South Korea, GE Vernova's gas turbines (simple and combined cycle) have the capacity to generate more than 14GW of electricity with an installed base of more than 77 units.

The company has been operating in South Korea since 1976 and in 2015, invested in a manufacturing plant investment in Changwon after acquiring Doosan’s HRSG business.