Yeosu-si, Establishment of Industrial Complex-Type Supercritical CO2 Power Generation Infrastructure

180 Billion KRW National Budget, 2MW-Class Supercritical CO2 Power Generation Facility

A domestic first-of-its-kind ‘2MW-class Supercritical CO2 Power Generation Demonstration Center’ worth approximately 32 billion KRW will be established in the Future Innovation District within the Yeosu Industrial Complex in Jeollanam-do.

On the 27th, according to the city, Yeosu City secured 18 billion KRW in national funding after being finally selected in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s public contest for the ‘Industrial Complex-type Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Generation Industrialization Support Center Construction Project,’ prepared in collaboration with the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Power Research Institute consortium.

[Photo provided by Yeosu City]

‘Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Generation’ is a next-generation power generation method that produces electricity by heating carbon dioxide to a supercritical state and driving turbines with it, instead of using steam generated by boiling water as in conventional methods.

Compared to steam turbines, the turbine size is reduced by 80%, making it suitable for miniaturization and distributed power sources. The power generation efficiency increases by 2 to 5%, reducing power generation costs by up to 15%. If industrialized in the future, it is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.93 million tons annually.

Following the contest selection, the city will invest a total project cost of 32.3 billion KRW over five years starting this year, together with the KEPCO Power Research Institute, to establish the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Generation Industrialization Support Center and demonstration facilities in the Future Innovation District within the Yeosu Industrial Complex.

Planned initiatives include ▲ design of the supercritical carbon dioxide power generation cycle ▲ construction and commissioning of supercritical carbon dioxide power generation demonstration facilities ▲ development of performance evaluation standards and operating procedures for supercritical carbon dioxide power generation ▲ development of utilization models and discovery of demand companies ▲ training of specialized personnel and technical support.

A city official stated, “With the nation’s first industrial complex-type 2MW-class supercritical carbon dioxide power generation demonstration, we will lead new technology,” adding, “It is expected to revitalize the regional economy as well as achieve carbon neutrality and strengthen corporate competitiveness by applying it to various energy sources such as waste heat within the industrial complex in the future.”

Yeosu = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Choi Cheol-hoon hss79@asiae.co.kr