Director General Chae Hee-bong, in charge of energy industry policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Ulsan Mayor Kim Ki-hyun and EWP President Chang Joo-ok attend a ceremony to officially inaugurate the Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Unit 4, a 950MW-class power unit in Nam-gu, Ulsan Metropolitan City, on Nov. 6.(Photo:EWP)

UKorea East-West Power Co. (EWP) held a ceremony to officially inaugurate the Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Unit 4, a 950MW-class power unit in Nam-gu, Ulsan Metropolitan City, on Nov. 6.

Amongst approximately 300 people on hand at the ceremony were Director General Chae Hee-bong, in charge of energy industry policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Ulsan Mayor Kim Ki-hyun and EWP President Chang Joo-ok. 

The combined cycle power unit is outfitted with two 318MW gas turbines and one 312MW steam turbine, which is equivalent to a 1,000MW nuclear power unit. It is capable of producing some 5,813GWh, which accounts for about 20 percent of Ulsan Metropolitan City’s annual electricity demand. 

In 2011, the government decided to construct the Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Unit 4 as a step to cope with surging electricity consumption between 2013 and 2014. 

EWP underwent a fast-track approval and licensing process to cut down on preparations and secure enough construction time to ensure safety and quality.

The project cost 999.4 billion won. Construction started on May 23, 2012 and ended this past July 31.

Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Unit 4 boasts a power generation efficiency some 1.8 percentage points higher than that of conventional units, reducing fuel costs and national energy costs. 

The unit is outfitted with advanced desulfurization and denitrification systems, emitting 51 percent less sulfur oxide, 11 percent less nitrogen oxide and 31 percent less dust than a conventional one. 

In recognition of its track record for construction and environmental systems, Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Unit 4 received the Top Plant Award from the Power Magazine in September. In October 2013, the unit won Project Award of the Year by the Korea Project Management Association. 

“It is very significant for the Ulsan Thermal Power Complex, a driving force behind the 40-odd year industrialization, to officially inaugurate the Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Unit 4,” said EWP President Chang. He added that the power unit, outfitted with world’s best power generation systems, not only produces more electricity with less fuel, but also use clean energy to have less environmental effects on the region.