"Starting Eco-Friendly Energy Transition" Chungnam Province Breaks Ground on Boryeong New Complex Unit 1

Chungnam Province takes the first step toward eco-friendly energy transition policy.

On the 13th, Chungnam Province announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1 at the site relocated next to Boryeong Thermal Power Plant’s Unit 4.

Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1 is being constructed to replace Boryeong Coal-Fired Unit 5, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026.

Jungbu Power plans to invest 535.4 billion KRW by 2026 to build Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1, a 500 MW-class plant on a 45,500㎡ site.

After completion, Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1 will generate electricity using LNG as fuel and is expected to also operate with hydrogen co-firing in the future.

This power plant applies an ultra-supercritical pressure arranged recovery boiler to enhance performance and can achieve rapid start-up within 30 minutes from gas turbine ignition to rated load.

Additionally, environmental facilities are significantly strengthened to minimize air pollutants such as fine dust by preventing iron oxide scattering and reducing sulfur oxides and carbon monoxide emissions.

Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1 will also promote the “Standard Gas Combined Cycle Power Generation Model and Test Bed Construction Technology Development Project.”

This is to establish a domestic gas turbine manufacturing ecosystem to strengthen energy security and prevent capital outflow, as the country currently relies entirely on overseas gas turbines for LNG power generation.

Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1 holds significance as the starting point of Chungnam’s energy transition policy.

Currently, there are a total of 58 coal-fired power plants nationwide, with 29 concentrated in Chungnam, including Boryeong and Dangjin. However, 28 of the 59 coal-fired power plants nationwide (14 in Chungnam) are scheduled to be phased out by 2036.

Starting with Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1, Chungnam Province is structurally required to continue its energy transition.

Regarding this, Governor Kim Tae-heum of Chungnam Province said, “With the groundbreaking of Boryeong New Combined Cycle Unit 1, Chungnam Province will lay the foundation for a smooth transition to a coal-free energy policy and lead the carbon-neutral era.”

He also emphasized, “The coal-free energy transition must proceed in a way that coexists with the local economy. Regions like Boryeong, which have suffered from coal-fired power plants for decades, must not face crises such as job losses and population decline due to power plant closures under carbon neutrality.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.