Plant to supply power to Hi-Tech Valley and semiconductor complex

The completed Gumi natural gas power plant. [Kumho Engineering & Construction]
The completed Gumi natural gas power plant. [Kumho Engineering & Construction]

Kumho Engineering & Construction has finished building the Gumi natural gas power plant, South Korea's first project to replace a coal-fired unit with a natural gas facility.

The company announced Monday that it solely constructed the plant, commissioned by Korea Western Power, and that formal completion is expected by the end of this month. A completion ceremony was held Wednesday at the Fifth National Industrial Complex in Gumi Hi-Tech Valley, North Gyeongsang Province.

The Gumi natural gas power plant is the country's first fuel-conversion project under the government's carbon neutrality policy, replacing the No. 1 coal-fired unit at the Taean power complex with a combined-cycle gas plant. The facility is located at the Fifth National Industrial Complex in Gumi Hi-Tech Valley, North Gyeongsang Province.

The plant has a capacity of about 500 megawatts and consists of one gas turbine, one steam turbine and a heat recovery steam generator. It operates on a combined-cycle basis: natural gas is burned to generate electricity through the gas turbine first, and the waste heat from that process creates steam that drives the steam turbine for additional power generation.

Once the plant enters full operation, Gumi's energy self-sufficiency rate is expected to rise from the current 6 percent to around 30 percent. The facility will supply power to Gumi Hi-Tech Valley and support the development of a dedicated semiconductor complex in the area.

Beyond the Gumi project, Kumho Engineering & Construction has built up a track record in liquefied natural gas power and plant construction, including a natural gas power plant in Gongju and an LNG supply facility for a combined heat and power plant in Suwon. More recently, the company has been expanding its energy infrastructure portfolio, winning contracts for a pumped-storage hydropower plant in Pocheon and a converter station on the east coast.

"We are proud to have contributed to the energy transition and to laying a stable power supply foundation for the Gumi region by taking part in the country's first fuel-conversion project," a company official said. "Going forward, we will actively pursue energy infrastructure projects, drawing on our construction experience and technical expertise across various energy facilities, including natural gas power plants."

Meanwhile, Kumho Engineering & Construction has been drawing market attention amid growing expectations surrounding the government's plan to fast-track ground-breaking on a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region. Although the company's headquarters is in Seoul, its main office is in Naju, South Jeolla Province — making it a representative Honam-region construction company. Its share price has surged sharply of late.


quq@heraldcorp.com