The Yeoju LNG power plant is a 1GW gas-fired combined-cycle facility being built in Yeoju, South Korea.
Independent power producer (IPP) Yeoju Energy Services is the owner and developer of the project which is estimated to cost approximately £380m ($600m). It has engaged SK Engineering & Construction (E&C), a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the facility.
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy approved the project in May 2013, while the environmental impact assessment (EIA) was finalised in April 2016.
The civil engineering and gas reclamation works were initiated in April 2019 and the order for the key generating equipment was placed in November 2019.
Scheduled to come online in 2022, the 1GW combined-cycle facility is expected to provide economical and reliable electricity running on regasified liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Location and site details
The gas-fired power plant is being constructed on a 20,8876m2-site near Oeryong, in the Yeoju city, Gyeonggi province, South Korea.
Yeoju LNG power plant make-up
The 1,004MW Yeoju LNG power plant is a multi-shaft combined-cycle power plant comprising two SGT6-9000HL gas turbines, one SST6-5000 steam turbine, three SGen6-2000P generators, two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and the SPPA-T3000 distributed control system from Siemens.
SGT6-9000HL is an advanced HL series gas turbine from Siemens that 1.8m-long, 5m-wide, and 4.3m-tall. The four-stage air-cooled combustion turbine is designed to operate at 60Hz frequency. The turbine offers a net efficiency of 63% in combined-cycle operation.
The SST-5000 steam turbine comprises high pressure (HP), intermediate pressure (IP), and low pressure (LP) sections. The speed of the turbine is up to 3,600rpm and it can operate at 77bar steam pressure and 600°C steam temperature.
The SGen6-2000P pressurised air-cooled generators with ratings of up to 560MVA. The generator weighs up to 370t and provides a terminal voltage of up to 20kV.
Gas and water supply
The natural gas for the power plant will be supplied through a pipeline connecting the Yeoju gas refining station in Neungseo-myeon, located approximately 13km away from the project site.
Gas supply for the power plant is expected to be secured through a long-term natural gas sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Shell.
The project also includes the construction of industrial water pipes from the Namhan River, located approximately 8km away from the plant site.
Power evacuation
The electricity generated by the power plant will be evacuated into the grid through a new overhead power line connecting a nearby transmission line. A total of 16 transmission towers are planned to be built for the grid connection.
Contractors involved
SK Engineering and Construction Company (SK E&C) is the turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the Yeoju LNG-based combined-cycle power project.
Siemens was contracted for the supply of turbines, generators, heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and the distributed control system for the Yeoju LNG power plant in November 2019.
The advanced HL-class gas turbines being provided by Siemens are being manufactured in North Carolina and Mississippi in the US, and in Lincolnshire in the UK.