The Eumseong combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) is a 1.1GW gas-fired power project planned to be developed in the Chungcheongbuk province of South Korea.

Korea East-West Power, a subsidiary of state-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) will build and operate the power plant.

Key contracts for the first of two planned combined-cycle units of the plant were awarded in January 2022.

The 571MW unit one is scheduled to come online by the end of 2024. It is expected to offset 3.7 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year compared to a coal-fired power plant of similar capacity.

Location and site details

The Eumseong combined cycle power plant will be built on a 32.5ha-site in the Pyeong village in Eumseong county, in South Korea’s north-western province Chungcheongbuk.

It is being built in place of a previously planned 1GW coal-fired power station at the same site, which was scrapped due to South Korea’s new environmental policy in 2018.

Eumseong Unit One combined-cycle power plant make-up

Unit one of the Eumseong combined-cycle power plant will be equipped with an SGT6-9000HL gas turbine, an SST-5000 steam turbine, and an SGen-3000W generator along with SPPA-T3000 control system from Siemens.

It will be a single-shaft combined-cycle unit operating on re-gasified liquified natural gas (LNG).

SGT6-9000HL is an air-cooled, four-stage heavy-duty gas turbine design incorporating internal cooling for blades and an advanced can-annular combustion system to deliver a combined-cycle efficiency of more than 64%.

The Eumseong Unit One gas-fired unit will also include a heat recovery boiler and transformers. Auxiliary facilities at the site will include gas supply and water treatment and storage facilities, and a substation.

Gas supply

The Eumseong power plant will receive natural gas from Korea Gas Corporation’s (KOGAS)  Wonnam gas supply management centre, which is located 2km away from the project site.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the first unit of the gas-fired power plant will be evacuated into the grid through a 154kV transmission line, whereas the second unit is planned to be connected to the grid through a 345kV transmission line.

Contractors involved

Siemens Energy secured a contract from Korea East-West Power to supply the key plant equipment including gas and steam turbines and generators, and the distributed control system (DCS) for unit one of the Emuseong combined-cycle power plant in January 2022.

The contractual scope also includes a long-term agreement to provide maintenance and performance monitoring services for the plant equipment.

POSCO Engineering and Construction (E&C) is responsible for the construction of the plant.

Byucksan Engineering was engaged to conduct a feasibility study for the Eumseong combined-cycle power project in 2018.

Eumseong combined-cycle power project background

The Eumseong combined-cycle power project is being developed as a replacement to a 1GW coal-fired power plant, which was planned to be developed at the site by Dangjin Eco Power.

Dangjin Eco Power was split into two companies, namely Eumseong Natural Gas Power and Dangjin Eco Solar Power, in August 2019.

Eumseong Natural Gas Power, which was to build and operate the Eumseong combined-cycle power plant, was acquired by Korea East-West Power in December 2019.

The Eumseong gas-fired combined cycle power plant is built as part of the fuel conversion project under South Korea’s 8th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand announced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Mining in December 2017.