GE Vernova’s gas power business has begun commercial operations at the Naepo District heating plant, a 500MW power plant in Naepo City, South Korea.

The district heating plant is powered by GE’s H-Class gas combined cycle equipment to generate electricity for the national grid, powering 125,000 households. The district heating system can supply sufficient heat for 100,000 people.

With the district heating plant in place, the need for individual hot water boilers can be eliminated, supporting the population during the cold winter months.

GE secured the order from project owner Naepo Green Energy. It has supplied a 7HA.02 gas turbine, an H65 generator, an STF-D650 steam turbine, one H35 generator, one heat recovery steam generator and one GE condenser.

The company also agreed to provide equipment maintenance services for 19 years.

The start of operations at the plant represents a significant milestone in South Korea's move towards sustainable and efficient power generation and heating solutions.

GE Vernova gas power business Asia president and CEO Ramesh Singaram stated: “We are 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 to liquefied natural gas leads to significant improvements in fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and enhanced cost-effectiveness.

“Our HA technology has demonstrated industry-leading performance with close to 64% efficiency in combined cycle mode and over 91% efficiency in district heating mode. 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.”

A Naepo Green Energy representative stated: “We are proud to celebrate the start of commercial operation of the Naepo District heating plant, a significant achievement that underlines our commitment to delivering efficient and lower-emitting energy solutions.

“We trusted GE Vernova given their extensive experience executing projects of this scale in South Korea as well as the company’s technological and services leadership. With industry-leading combined cycle capability for district heating operation, GE Vernova’s HA gas turbines were a natural choice for this kind of application and made it possible for us to provide both reliable, affordable and lower-carbon electricity and steam to Naepo City.”

The project was built by Lotte Engineering & Construction, a South Korean engineering, procurement and construction company.