World’s first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power project achieves dual-unit operation in China

The world’s first commercial demonstration project for supercritical carbon dioxide waste heat power generation, known as Super Carbon No.1, has completed dual-unit operational commissioning in Liupanshui, Guizhou Province. A second 15MW supercritical carbon dioxide generating unit has recently been connected to the power grid at the Shougang Shuicheng Iron and Steel plant, forming a fully operational dual-unit system for the pioneering low-carbon power generation solution.

The first unit of the project officially entered commercial operation in December 2025. The innovative technology has maintained stable performance on steel production lines for more than six months, converting industrial waste heat into clean electric power and overhauling the century-old conventional steam-based power generation model.

Operational data demonstrates remarkable energy efficiency gains. A single unit has generated over 32.856 million kilowatt-hours of electricity within six months, fully supplying on-site power demand for the steel plant. Full-load production scheduled for August will enable the dual-unit system to deliver a stable monthly power output of 15 million kilowatt-hours.

The project marks a collaborative industrial breakthrough jointly advanced by Nuclear Power Institute of China, Jigang Group and Shougang Shuicheng Iron and Steel. Traditional steam waste heat power generation systems deployed at the steel plant since 2010 suffered low power output and insufficient waste heat utilisation efficiency. The three parties integrated technical research capabilities, engineering construction experience and operational resources to realise the global first commercial application of supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology.

The core technical innovation replaces water with carbon dioxide as the heat transfer medium for power cycling. Conventional power generation relying on water-to-steam phase change processes suffers substantial energy losses. Carbon dioxide enters a supercritical state at 31 degrees Celsius and 73 standard atmospheric pressures, combining the high density of liquid substances and low viscosity of gaseous substances to drastically cut energy dissipation during heat conversion and cycling.

The research and development team has independently resolved more than 200 technical bottlenecks, achieving full autonomous control of core technologies. Operational iteration across the past six months has steadily improved technological maturity. The first unit required extensive debugging during initial commissioning, while the second unit completed full debugging and stable operation in less than three months.

The new generation power system delivers comprehensive performance upgrades. Per tonne of sintered ore, power generation output reaches 36 kilowatt-hours, doubling the industry’s traditional advanced level. Thermoelectric conversion efficiency rises by 75 per cent compared with conventional steam power generation. The compact design adapts well to mountainous factory layouts in Guizhou, occupying over 50 per cent less land than equivalent steam generating units and eliminating the need for large cooling tower facilities. Daily operation only requires two to three on-site staff, with the system delivering rapid response, flexible adjustment and convenient operational control.

The technology brings tangible economic and environmental benefits for industrial manufacturers. On-site power generated by the supercritical carbon dioxide system costs approximately 0.5 yuan per kilowatt-hour, lower than the external industrial electricity price of 0.65 yuan per kilowatt-hour, creating substantial daily cost savings under full-load operation. Based on the plant’s annual sintered ore output of 5.6 million tonnes, the fully operational project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50,000 tonnes each year.

Growing industrial attention has been directed towards the scalable application of supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology. The solution adapts to medium and high-temperature industrial waste heat above 300 degrees Celsius, matching the operational characteristics of high-energy-consuming industrial sectors. The technical framework supports integrated development with concentrated solar power generation and molten salt energy storage systems. Continuous industrial promotion will expand application scenarios across multiple high-carbon manufacturing industries, driving widespread low-carbon transformation of traditional industrial production processes.