CNCity Energy, Hakha region (KOR)

“The operational characteristics of INNIO’s J624 gas engines offered an ideal long-term development rhythm to meet the region’s growing district heating demand over the five-year development period.”

CEO Mr. IK Hwang, CNCity Energy

To power the growing Hakha region of Daejeon, CNCity Energy added six of INNIO’s Jenbacher J624 gas engines to create one of the largest gas engine power plants in South Korea. This inaugural launch of the J624 two-stage turbocharged units in Asia’s 60 Hz segment provided a game-changing technology to support the region’s increasing heat and power demands.

Background

Founded in 1985, CNCity Energy (Choongnam City Gas Co Ltd), builds pipelines and distributing natural gas and liquid natural gas to the cities of Daejeon and Gyeryong in South Korea. In 2001, driven by government policies related to distributed power, the company began work on Community Energy System (CES) projects to extend its reach to new development areas. As part of this effort, INNIO supplied 13 Jenbacher J620 gas engines for an earlier project. Combined heat and power (CHP) energy conversion saves about 39%* of primary energy compared to the separate generation of power and heat. By efficiently generating both heat and power, CHP plants are helping to drive Korea’s ability to meet its extensive district heating needs.

*Based on IEA ’16 electricity production figures for EU-28 and EIA '17 average power plant heat rate references

Solution

In 2011, CNCity Energy once again turned to INNIO technology and began work on the Hakha CES project to supply heat and power to nearly 8,000 homes, commercial buildings, schools, and public buildings in the growing Hakha region of Daejeon. As the town’s development continued over a five-year period, CNCity selected the high efficiency J624 engines for a solution that could meet the region’s energy requirements in a step-by-step progression and reach full demand by 2015. The CNCity agreement with INNIO was for six J624 two-stage turbocharged gas engines as well as the silencer, radiator, and exhaust gas heat exchanger. RNP Enterprise—INNIO’s authorized distributor and service provider — delivered the major mechanical and electrical balance of plant equipment. INNIO was able to win the project by offering a competitive capital expenditure, excellent reference projects and service capability. Additionally, INNIO’s J624 gas engine provides high efficiency at partial load, and its engineering excellence offers significant advantages, particularly for CHP solutions with multiple engines.

Result

The Hakha CES project implementation succeeded in keeping pace with the region’s growing power needs. In February 2013, the first project phase involving the installation of four J624 units and supporting equipment was completed, and by the end of 2014 the last two units were installed. The new cogeneration plant with its six J624 engines running on natural gas provides a total of 25,182 kW of electrical output and
24,600 kW of thermal output, and it achieves total efficiency of 87%. The installation of INNIO’s six J624 gas engines at Hakha, Daejeon, creates one of the largest gas engine power plant in South Korea. In addition, the two-stage turbocharged engines, with leading efficiency and power density in their class, make them more economical than any other gas engines with a similar output.

Customer Benefits

Ideal for district heating applications, a CHP plant with INNIO’s J624 two-stage turbocharging gas engine technology provides:

• Class-leading total efficiency at 87%
• Energy savings of 40%
• Low NOx emissions with less than 50 ppm
• Flexible and modular design
• Fast start-up time in 5 minutes