Motie: Korea’s first homemade gas turbine to power Gimpo CCPP

Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook visited the Gimpo Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) project site operated by Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) on April 5 to attend the installation commencement ceremony of Korea’s first homemade gas turbine.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) first propeled the public-private development of power plant gas turbines in 2013 as part of its MPE (materials, parts, and equipment) initiative. Six years later in 2019, Korea became the world’s fifth nation to succeed in the independent production of H-class (min. 40% turbine efficiency) gas turbines.

The homemade gas turbine for the abovementioned Gimpo CCPP has undergone an off-grid demonstration through January 2020-November 2021 at the Doosan Heavy Changwon Plant. Once installed in the Gimpo CCPP, the turbine will again undergo an on-site, on-grid demonstration in July 2023-Jul 2025.

Korea is wholly dependent on foreign-made power plant gas turbines (161 units, as of March 2022), and the new gas turbine installed in the Gimpo CCPP will be the very first “K-gas turbine” to operate in a power plant.

The Korean government also has plans to announce the “Hydrogen & Ammonia Power Generation Roadmap” by H1 2022 for gaining global competitiveness in net-zero carbon power generation industries.

LNG gas turbine technology is significant in that it lays the foundation for hydrogen turbine technology as well. Based on the independent gas turbine know-how, the Government aims to successfully commercialize hydrogen turbines and push Korea along a fast track to becoming a hydrogen powerhouse.

Minister Moon emphasized that “Industries’ competitiveness should be a core aim in achieving carbon neutrality and climate change response.” He added that securing Korea’s self-sufficient gas turbine technology is critical not only in economic aspects like the local industry ecosystem, MPE competitiveness, and new job creation, but also for energy security. Minister Moon urged public-private entities to make joint efforts and consider all future demonstration projects as opportunities for gaining valuable expertise.