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.

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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: 34.90622, 128.10307

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 (planned)
Unit 4	operating	coal - bituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids)	560	subcritical	–	1994	2024 (planned)
Unit 5	operating	coal - subbituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids)	500	supercritical	–	1997	2027 (planned)
Unit 6	operating	coal - subbituminous, bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids)	500	supercritical	–	1998	2028 (planned)
Unit CC3	announced	liquefied natural gas	560	not found	not found	2026	–
Unit CC4	announced	liquefied natural gas	560	not found	not found	2026	–
Unit CC5	announced	liquefied natural gas	500	not found	not found	2027	–
Unit CC6	announced	liquefied natural gas	500	not found	not found	2028	–

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
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 Southeast Power Co Ltd	Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) [100.0%]
Unit CC4	Korea Southeast Power Co Ltd	Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) [100.0%]
Unit CC5	Korea Southeast Power Co Ltd	Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) [100.0%]
Unit CC6	Korea Southeast Power Co Ltd	Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) [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.

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.

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.

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.

Planned retirement

As of May 2021, Units 3 & 4 were scheduled to close by 2024; Units 5 by 2027; Unit 6 by 2028.

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.

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.

The following power stations had plans to convert from coal to gas:

• 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)
• Samchonpo power station Unit 4 in 2024 (560 MW)
• 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.

Articles and Resources

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.