Siemens Energy Delivers Gas Power to Taiwan Plant, Drives Energy Transition

Siemens Energy is supplying a complete power island for the 1,200-MW Kuo Kuang 2 power plant in Taiwan, including two SGT6-9000HL gas turbines, one SST6-5000 steam turbine, three SGEN6-2000P generators, and the Omnivise T3000 control system. The plant, with CTCI as its engineering, procurement, and construction partner, will support Taiwan’s phase-out of coal and nuclear while integrating renewable and low-carbon energy.

The company is already partnered with Kuo Kuang Power Co., conducting operation and maintenance work at the Kuo Kuang 1 gas-fired power plant, which was commissioned in 2003. The Kuo Kuang 2 combined-cycle plant is Siemens Energy’s next Taiwanese project, following the successful completion of the 1,100-MW Sun Ba 2 project.

“The Kuo Kuang 2 project is a continuation of our story in Kuo Kuang 1 and a testament to the trust that customers place in our products and services,” said Karim Amin, Member of the Siemens Energy Executive Board, Gas Services Business Area. “Our HL gas turbines will enhance the power generation efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions. This technology, when paired with renewable energies, enables rapid power plant start-up, ensuring a reliable energy supply for Taiwan."

SGT-9000HL gas turbine; image credit: Siemens Energy

Impact in Taiwan

The plant will help fulfill Taiwan’s growing energy requirements in the electronics, engineering, and semiconductor markets, as approximately 60% of all microchips are manufactured in Taiwan; therefore, a stable power supply is needed. Driven primarily by AI, electricity demand is expected to increase 12-13% by 2030, so Taiwan is expanding clean power generation and balancing reliability and sustainability via grid upgrades.

The commissioning of Kuo Kuang 2 replaces older, CO₂-intensive plants on the grid, emitting up to 66% less greenhouse gases than coal- or oil-driven power.

More Siemens Energy News

In early October 2024, Siemens Energy opened a new laboratory in Redmond, WA, focused on developing and testing turbomachinery-based technologies designed to support industrial decarbonization at scale. It is commercializing several rotating equipment technologies to accelerate the energy transition. Three technologies in the early stages of commercialization are being developed at the facility: an advanced rotor hydrogen compressor, a Turbo Heater, and a rotating olefins cracker (ROC).

Siemens Energy’s Redmond Turbomachinery laboratory accelerates the company’s goal to progress industrial decarbonization. In addition to the high-speed rotor hydrogen compressor, Turbo Heater, and ROC, the team is also developing several other decarbonization technologies for power generation and energy storage using turbomachinery-based solutions.

Also in October 2024, Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) and Siemens Energy partnered on a recent demonstration of alternative fuels for decarbonization: The duo successfully operated an SGT-A35 gas turbine on methanol, demonstrating a decrease in NOx of up to 80%. Siemens Energy manufactured and installed the new components that were needed for the methanol-fuel conversion using 3D printing techniques. Gas turbines currently in use can be retrofitted to use alternative fuels such as methanol with minor modifications.

The demonstration took place at the RWG facility in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and was witnessed by methanol producer Proman, who contributed the methanol fuel for the test. In 2023, NZTC and Siemens Energy conducted a demonstration of an SGT-A20 turbine running on bio-methanol. This showed CO₂ emissions could be reduced by up to 75% compared to conventional fuels.