Samchonpo power station
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Samchonpo power station (삼천포 발전소) is an operating power station of at least 2120-megawatts (MW) in Deokho, Hai, Goseong, South Gyeongsang, South Korea with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Samcheonpo power station, 삼천포 발전소.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Samchonpo power station | Deokho, Hai, Goseong, South Gyeongsang, South Korea | 34.910715, 128.108397 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: 34.910715, 128.108397
- Unit CC3, Unit CC4, Unit CC5, Unit CC6: 34.9062206, 128.1030728
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired | coal - bituminous | 560 | subcritical | – | 1983 | 2021 |
| Unit 2 | retired | coal - bituminous | 560 | subcritical | – | 1984 | 2021 |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal - bituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids) | 560 | subcritical | – | 1993 | 2024 |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal - bituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids) | 560 | subcritical | – | 1994 | 2024 |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal - subbituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids) | 500 | supercritical | – | 1997 | 2027 |
| Unit 6 | operating | coal - subbituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids) | 500 | supercritical | – | 1998 | 2028 |
| Unit CC3 | announced[1] | fossil gas - LNG[1] | 560[1] | unknown | – | 2026[1] | – |
| Unit CC4 | announced[1] | fossil gas - LNG[1] | 560[1] | unknown | – | 2026[1] | – |
| Unit CC5 | announced[1] | fossil gas - LNG[1] | 500[1] | unknown | – | 2027[1] | – |
| Unit CC6 | announced[1] | fossil gas - LNG[1] | 500[1] | unknown | – | 2028[1] | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit CC3 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit CC4 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit CC5 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
| Unit CC6 | Korea South-East Power Co Ltd (KOEN) [100.0%] |
Background
Samchonpo power station was a six-unit coal-fired power station totaling 3,240 MW in Deokho Hai, Goseong. It was commissioned from 1983 to 1998, and owned by KEPCO.[2]
Although some sources may have indicated that Units 1-2 were closed in April 2020, they were not retired until May 1, 2021 – 16 months after it was originally planned. Units 3-4 are planned for closure in 2023.[3][4][5]
In March 2022, a fatal accident occurred at the plant. According to reports, a member of the Samcheonpo Business Division fell after taking the elevator to inspect equipment on the fifth floor of Unit 3.[6]
In January 2023, it was reported that among other South Korean coal-fired and co-firing power plants, the Samchonpo power plant had begun buying Russian imported wood pellets to co-fire with coal after the EU had banned imports of Russian woody biomass for energy use. [7]
Planned retirement
As of May 2021, Units 3 & 4 were scheduled to close by 2024; Units 5 by 2027; Unit 6 by 2028.[8]
As of November 2023, the latest news indicated that the coal-fired Units 3 and 4 were still scheduled for retirement and replacement by gas-fired units in 2024.[9]
Conversion to gas
In 2020, South Korea planned to shut a total of 15.3 GW of coal-fired capacity by 2034 according to a draft of the country's ninth basic electricity plan, of which 12.7 GW would be switched to run on imported gas.[10]
The following power stations had plans to convert from coal to gas:[10]
- Dangjin power station Units 1 and 2 in 2029 (2 * 500 MW)
- Dangjin power station Units 3 and 4 in 2030 (2 * 500 MW)
- Samchonpo power station Unit 3 in 2024 (560 MW)[11]
- Samchonpo power station Unit 4 in 2024 (560 MW)[11]
- Samchonpo power station Unit 5 in 2027 (500 MW)
- Samchonpo power station Unit 6 in 2028 (500 MW)
- Yeongheung power station Units 1 and 2 in 2034 (2 * 800 MW)
In September 2022, residents of Samcheonpo protested against the gas conversion of the power station.[12]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20231118083456/https://www.kier.re.kr/resources/download/tpp/policy_230113_data.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Samcheonpo Coal Power Plant South Korea," GEO, accessed May 2020
- ↑ "낡은 화력발전소, 삼천포 1,2호기 가동 중단 경남환경연," Busan, April 30, 2020
- ↑ "삼천포화력 1·2호기 40년 만에 역사 속으로," Newsis, May 1, 2021
- ↑ "삼천포화력발전소 1·2호기 37·38년 만에 5월1일 영구 폐쇄," News 1, April 30, 2021
- ↑ "삼천포화력발전소, '설비점검' 나섰던 40대 노동자 추락사," Oh my News, March 15, 2022
- ↑ "The EU banned Russian wood pellet imports; South Korea took them all" Mongabay, January 24, 2023
- ↑ Assessing the Health Benefits of a Paris-Aligned Coal Phase Out for South Korea, Annex II (Unit-level phase out schedules), Climate Analytics, May 2021
- ↑ 남동발전, 삼천포발전소 '화력→LNG 복합발전' 대체 건설, The Guru, July 3, 2023
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "South Korea to convert half of existing coal fleet to gas," Argus, May 11, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The 9th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand (2020 - 2034), South Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, December 28, 2020
- ↑ "(R) 삼천포발전소 LNG 전환에 삼천포 주민 반발," 서경방송, September 1, 2022
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
