Korea orders 10 Mitsubishi J class gas turbines

The M501J gas turbine.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. has received a series of orders for its state-of-the-art "M501J" gas turbines, ten units in total, for installation at four power plants in Korea. The plants are large-scale natural-gas-fired gas turbine combined-cycle (GTCC) power generation facilities with generation capacities ranging from near 950 to 1,900 MW. The ten gas turbines on order consist of two units each for the Yulchon 2, 2nd-Pyeongtaek and Ulsan 4 power plants and four units for the Dongducheon power plant. All of these GTCC plants, which will have a collective power generation capacity reaching near 4,750 MW, are to be newly constructed.

High power output, low emissions

The new turbine design is able to withstand 100 degrees higher temperature than the 1,500°C-class G-Series gas turbine, the top-of-the-line until now. The 60 hertz J-Series gas turbine achieves a rated power output of about 320 MW and an unprecedented 460 MW in gas turbine combined-cycle (GTCC) power generation applications, in which heat recovery steam generators and steam turbines are also used. MHI has also achieved over 60% gross thermal efficiency - the world's highest level in GTCC applications.

The J series gas turbines will significantly contribute to easing environmental burdens. With GTCC type power generation, gas and steam turbines are used in combination to generate electricity in two stages, utilizing high-temperature exhaust gas from the gas turbine. This configuration enables GTCC power plants to achieve considerably higher thermal efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, consuming less fuel relative to electricity output.

With the J-Series gas turbine, GTCC power generation will be able to achieve CO2 emissions approximately 50% lower than with conventional coal-fired power generation (comparison with MHI's power plants). In the J-Series, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are suppressed to a level equivalent to that of current models.

Recipient power plants

Yulchon 2 is a near 950 MW power plant being built in Jeollanam-do by MPC Yulchon Generation Co., Ltd., a group company of Meiya Power Company Limited, based in Hong Kong. MHI received an order for two gas turbines, a steam turbine, two heat recovery steam generators and three generators.

The 2nd-Pyeongtaek, also a near 950 MW power plant, is being built in Gyeonggi-do by Korea Western Power Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation. MHI has received an order, jointly with Marubeni Corporation, for two gas turbines, a steam turbine and generators.

For the near 1,900 MW Dongducheon power plant, MHI received an order, also jointly with Marubeni, consisting of four gas turbines, two steam turbines and generators. Dongducheon Dream Power Co., Ltd. is building the plant in Gyeonggi-do.

For the near 950 MW Ulsan 4 power plant operated by Korea East-West Power Company, a subsidiary of KEPCO, in Ulsan Metropolitan City, MHI received an order jointly with Daelim Industrial Co, Ltd. for two gas turbines, a steam turbine and generators. For each of the four orders received, MHI will supply the gas and steam turbines and Mitsubishi Electric will provide the generators.