The first of three new gas-fired combined cycle blocks at Taiwan Power Company Nan Bu Construction Organization (TPC NPCO)’s Hsinta power plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, has come online. It is capable of dispatching up to 1.3 GW of electricity to Taiwan’s energy grid.

The blocks will gradually replace the coal-fired units currently operating at Hsinta. According to GE Vernova, its H-class gas-powered blocks are expected to reduce the older coal-fired units’ carbon emissions by 60%.  

The other two blocks are expected to start operation in phases during 2025 and 2026, bringing the plant’s combined power capacity up to nearly 4 GW.

GE Vernova worked together in consortium with a local company, CTCI Corporation, to engineer, construct and commission the first combined gas-fired combined cycle block. Each block features two GE Vernova 7HA.03 gas turbines with H65 hydrogen cooled generators, two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), one GE Vernova STF-D650 steam turbine with H65 hydrogen cooled generator, and other equipment.

According to GE Vernova, the modular standard configuration is simpler and more cost-effective to install, control and maintain, offering faster project execution times than others. Also able to start up quickly and adjust the volume of energy produced, the new plant will help stabilise Taiwan’s power grid as more renewable energy sources come online, it says. To further reduce carbon emissions, the 7HA.03 gas turbine can burn up to 50% hydrogen by volume when blended with natural gas, adds the company.

Upgrading the Hsinta power plant will support Taiwan’s Renewable Energy Development Act (REDA) energy policy, which is centred around transitioning from nuclear power and reducing reliance on coal fuels, notes TPC NPCO Director Chi-Hsiang Huang.

‘Replacing aged coal-fired units with more efficient and flexible gas-fired combined cycle units marks a significant step in Taiwan’s carbon emission reduction process… [and will help] achieve up to 50% of the energy mix sourced from natural gas by 2025,’ adds Ramesh Singaram, President and CEO, Asia of GE Vernova’s Gas Power.  

Centrica completes transformation of Brigg power plant

Meanwhile, in other power plant transformation news, Centrica has completed its conversion of the Brigg power station in Lincolnshire, UK, to a 150 MW energy park.  

The former turbine hall at the Brigg power station, which was decommissioned in 2020 after nearly 30 years of operations, is now home to a new 50 MW peaking plant. Peaking plants only operate when there’s high or peak demand for electricity, or when generation from renewables is too low to meet demand.

It is the second peaking plant to be constructed at Brigg, doubling the capacity of power generation at the site to 100 MW. The new engines, designed and manufactured by Wärtsilä, are highly efficient and will be used in a trial to blend hydrogen into the plant which is due to start later this year.

In addition, Centrica has completed construction of a 50 MW two-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) on the site, representing the largest investment in battery storage capacity the company has made to date. Storing renewable energy in this way makes it possible to better control the peaks and troughs associated with renewable energy generation – charging the batteries when electricity demand is low and discharging when demand peaks.

‘The energy transition will only be successful if it’s secure, affordable and sustainable. The Brigg Energy Park plays a vital role in all three of these, providing a level of resilience that underpins our energy future – a future that’s increasingly electrified and renewable,’ comments Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive of Centrica.

The 50 MW BESS at the Brigg Energy Park in Lincolnshire, UK, represents Centrica’s largest investment in battery storage capacity to date

Photo: Centrica