Hsinta power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Hsinta power station (臺灣電力興達發電廠) is an operating power station of at least 4310-megawatts (MW) in Yong'an, Kaohsiung, Taiwan with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Hsinta power station Yong'an, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 22.85577, 120.197167 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • New Unit 1, New Unit 2, Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 22.85577, 120.197167
  • Unit CC1, Unit CC2, Unit CC3, Unit CC4, Unit CC5, Unit New 1, Unit New 2, Unit New 3: 22.856179, 120.197438

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology CHP Start year Retired year
New Unit 1 cancelled coal - unknown 1000 unknown
New Unit 2 cancelled coal - unknown 1000 unknown
Unit 1 operating coal - bituminous, bioenergy 500 subcritical 1982 2023 (planned)
Unit 2 operating coal - bituminous 500 subcritical 1983 2023 (planned)
Unit 3 operating coal - bituminous 550 subcritical 1985 2025 (planned)
Unit 4 operating coal - bituminous 550 subcritical 1986 2025 (planned)
Unit CC1 operating[1] liquefied natural gas[1] 442[2][1] combined cycle[1] not found 1998[3] 2027 (planned)
Unit CC2 operating[1] liquefied natural gas[1] 442[2][1] combined cycle[1] not found 1998[3] 2027 (planned)
Unit CC3 operating[1] liquefied natural gas[1] 442[2][1] combined cycle[1] not found 1998[3] 2027 (planned)
Unit CC4 operating[1] liquefied natural gas[1] 442[2][1] combined cycle[1] not found 1998[3] 2027 (planned)
Unit CC5 operating[1] liquefied natural gas[1] 442[2][1] combined cycle[1] not found 1999[3] 2027 (planned)
Unit New 1 construction[4] liquefied natural gas[1] 1300[4] combined cycle[5] not found 2023[6]
Unit New 2 construction[4] liquefied natural gas[1] 1300[4] combined cycle[5] not found 2024[6]
Unit New 3 construction[4] liquefied natural gas[1] 1300[4] combined cycle[5] not found 2024[6]

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 Parent
New Unit 1 Taiwan Power Co (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
New Unit 2 Taiwan Power Co (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit 1 Taiwan Power Co (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit 2 Taiwan Power Co (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit 3 Taiwan Power Co (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit 4 Taiwan Power Co (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit CC1 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit CC2 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit CC3 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit CC4 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit CC5 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit New 1 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit New 2 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]
Unit New 3 Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER)[7][1] Taiwan Power Company (TAIPOWER) [100.0%]

Background

Hsinta power station is a coal- and gas-fired power station. The coal units consist of two 500 MW and two 550 MW units built from 1982 to 1986. It is owned by Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), and is located in Hsinta, Kaohsiung County.[8][9][10] The power station sits adjacent to the Yongan Wetland, an important habitat for wild birds.[11]

Coal-fired Units 1 and 2 are expected to be decommissioned in 2023 and coal-fired Units 3 and 4 are scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026. They are planned to be replaced by three new natural gas generating units of 390 MW each.[12]

In November 2018, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said units 1-2 would be retired in 2023 and units 3-4 in 2024.[13] In June 2019, it was reported that units 3-4 would be put on standby in 2024 and used only when needed, with priority given to gas-fired power.[14]

There are currently 5 combined cycle units of 445 MW each at the site, all fueled by natural gas and operating since 1998-1999.[15] These 5 units are expected to be decommissioned from 2026 to 2027.

In March 2022, a Taipower equipment malfunction led to twelve hours of power outages across Taiwan. The power grid lost a third of its capacity, and the Hsinta station was were the incident began. Several other stations went offline as a result. According to reports, the incident was caused by human error.[16]

In September 2022, Taipower discussed strategy changes aimed at avoiding outages like what occurred at the Hsinta power station in March. They would attempt a distributed microgrid method, which reduces interregional power supplies and increases resilience. Hsinta power station would supply the Southeastern Taiwan Science Park. The company planned to invest NT$564.5 billion (US$18.13 billion) towards this goal over ten years.[17]

Biomass conversion of coal unit(s)

In April 2023, it was reported that one coal-fired unit at Hsinta power station was to be converted to a biomass-fueled unit, presumably Unit 1, which was scheduled for retirement in 2023.[18] As of November 2023, the website of EPC company Gibsin also indicated in its list of current projects that "Hsinta Power Station Unit No. 1" was undergoing a biomass "retrofit" conversion.[19] By January 2024, it was unclear if Unit 1 had been retired or continued operating past its planned retirement date.

Hsinta Power Plant Combined Cycle Renewal Project

Hsinta Power Plant Combined Cycle Renewal Project, via taipower.com.tw

As of December 2020, three new combined cycle units were planned and expected be commissioned from 2023-2026. [20][21]

In April 2021, in response to a public protest in Kaohsiung, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) confirmed Taipower plans to decommission all four coal-fired generators at the Hsinta plant in five years' time: The No. 1 and 2 coal-fired generators are scheduled to be decommissioned in 2023 and replaced with gas, and the No. 3 and 4 generators will be reserved for emergency use after new natural gas-powered units go online in 2024, and will be decommissioned at the end of 2025. At the public protest, demonstrators called for the coal-fired units to be decommissioned immediately, noting they had been a major source of air pollution in the city for decades.[22]

As of May 2022, construction or pre-construction work had begun on all three units of the Hsinta Power Plant Combined Cycle Renewal Project. The new project will have a capacity of 3900 MW and was scheduled for completion between February 2024 and August 2025.[23]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 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 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 https://web.archive.org/web/20210918221330/https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/hsinta-combined-cycle-power-plant-renewal/. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20220316225510/https://www.taipower.com.tw/tc/news_noclassify_info.aspx?id=2877&chk=df375e60-5a87-4b45-849a-6ba0c3603493&mid=334&param=pn%3d1%26mid%3d334%26key%3d. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20210925130354/https://www.taipower.com.tw/en/news_noclassify_info.aspx?id=4362&chk=e89edd9a-4135-4a35-8bc6-8ab55aedc177&mid=5525&param=pn%3D1%26mid%3D5525%26key%3D. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20220517145950/https://www.taipower.com.tw/tc/page.aspx?mid=223&cid=3028&cchk=e418ebca-35da-4e33-a825-5278e75a658f. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20221112104515/https://www.taipower.com.tw/en/page.aspx?mid=4508. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20220625195514/https://www.taipower.com.tw/tc/page.aspx?mid=212&cid=122&cchk=260a432c-fc0e-47e0-a90e-2bc0cc52cb61. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 https://web.archive.org/web/20221130075414/https://www.dieselgasturbine.com/news/ge-ctci-partners-on-major-power-project-in-taiwan/7011916.article. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. "Hsinta Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant, Kaohsiung, Taiwan," Power Technology, accessed January 2014
  9. "Sustainability Reports - 台灣電力公司," Taiwan Power Company, 2014
  10. 興達發電廠 "興達發電廠- 维基百科,自由的百科全书," Wikipedia, accessed June 2018
  11. "品觀點|興達電廠化身「飛鳥電廠」!台電保留永安濕地 10多年保育成果揭密," China Times, April 28, 2023
  12. "興達電廠更新3燃氣機組減排112年起供電," Liberty Times Net, December 26, 2017
  13. "Kaohsiung Hsinta power plant to phase out coal generators: EPA," Focus Taiwan, November 11, 2018
  14. "EPA signs off on environmental impact assessment of power plant upgrade plan," Taipei Times, June 1, 2019
  15. "Hsinta Power Plant," Taiwan Power Company, accessed March 1, 2021
  16. "Blackout exposes Taiwan electrical grid’s major vulnerabilities," Commonwealth Magazine, March 10, 2022
  17. "Taipower unveils power resiliency plan," Taipei Times, September 16, 2022
  18. Biomass demand may reach 250mn t/yr by 2030: Enviva, Argus, April 3, 2023
  19. GIBSIN POWER GENERATION, Gibsin, Accessed: Nov. 8, 2023
  20. "Hsinta Power Plant Combined Cycle Renewal Project," Taiwan Power Company, accessed March 2, 2021
  21. "Hsinta Combined-Cycle Power Plant Renewal," NS Energy, accessed March 1, 2021
  22. "Kaohsiung Hsinta Power Plant to phase out coal generators: MOEA," Focus Taiwan, April 4, 2019
  23. "Hsinta Power Plant Combined Cycle Renewal Project," Taipower, May 31, 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.