Powered by GE's HA Technology, Chia Hui Power Plant Starts Operations to Help Taiwan Meet its Energy Policy Targets

GE announced today the start of commercial operation for Chia Hui Power Corporation’s Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP) in Minxiong Township, in Chaiyi County,  the sixth-largest county in Taiwan. GE provided a HA-powered turnkey combined cycle plant covering the full plant lifecycle including power generation equipment, analytics and controls software, and service agreements. The plant adds approximately 535 megawatts (MW), the equivalent electricity needed to power approximately 600,000 Taiwanese homes, and steam for district heating for the citizens of the Chiayi province–serving as a significant achievement in supporting Taiwan’s Renewable Energy Development Act (REDA) energy policy, which seeks to increase the gas-fired power ratio to 50% by year 2025. The Chia Hui project was also recognized with the “Best-in-Class for Safety and Health Management” award in 2020 by Taiwan OSHA as a model site for Southern Taiwan and was approved by the Bureau of Energy Taiwan for commercial operation.

“Taiwan’s Renewable Energy Development Act was enacted to promote the utilization of renewable energy, increase energy diversification, improve environment quality, energize the industry and drive the national sustainable development. The growth of gas power generation plays a critical role in facilitating Taiwan’s transition to a lower carbon future and supporting the reliable, affordable growth of sustainable energy,” said Kent Chen, General Manager of Chia Hui Power Corporation. “Chia Hui plant, powered by GE’s advanced HA technology, will help support our commitment to Taiwan’s mission to increase natural gas to 50% of the energy mix, while increasing Taiwan’s power reserve to proactively support our growing population”.

The power plant is comprised of a single generating block equipped with a GE’s 7HA.02 gas turbine powering an H65 generator, a STF-A650 steam turbine powering an H33 generator, and a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). For this turnkey project, GE manufactured, delivered, and installed the equipment and will provide maintenance services for 10 years.

Overall plant performance will be monitored and enhanced with GE’s tightly integrated Mark* VIe Distributed Control System (DCS) software solution to help Chia Hui Power Corporation improve asset visibility, reliability, and availability while reducing operating and maintenance costs. Mark VIe is utilized for system-wide programming, configuration, trending, and analyzing diagnostics. It provides a single source of quality, time-coherent data at the controller and plant level to diagnose and adjust how a plant is operating in real time.

In addition, Chia Hui power plant will use big data analytics to improve fleet performance and make smarter operational decisions. GE’s Digital Energy Predix* Asset Performance Management (APM) software will improve predictive maintenance capabilities and the operational life of the power station. It will make the plant more reliable and available, while helping reduce the operating and maintenance costs. Data collected from sensors throughout the facility will be monitored and analyzed 24/7 at GE’s Monitoring & Diagnostics (M&D) Center in Atlanta, GA, United States.

GE and FieldCore, GE’s field services company, collaborated on the project to achieve the highest standards of quality and safety of execution.  GE’s focus on safety during the construction of Chia Hui Power Plant was recognized with the “Best-in-Class for Safety and Health Management” award by Taiwan OSHA organization in 2020. This demonstration in excellence marks it as a model site for Southern Taiwan – a first-time award for a non-Taiwan based company.  

“We are proud for being recognized as a model for safety for our high-quality execution despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.  This award showcases our and the importance of GE initiatives such as: “Stop Work Authority”, rigorous quarterly audits and a permit-to-work process, daily site work coordination, inspections and reward programs to ensure safety remains top of mind for our team and all who partner with us on our projects,” said Ramesh Singaram,  President & CEO GE Gas Power. “GE’s H-class power plants deliver flexible, efficient and reliable power to millions of people around the world and we are delighted to deliver our advanced technology, digital solutions, and services to Chia Hui Power Corporation to provide more efficient electricity to the Chiayi province and support the Taiwanese government’s goals.”

In Taiwan, GE continues to play a critical role in supporting the advancement of the country’s energy goals, working alongside customers such as Chia Hui Power Corporation, providing cutting edge technology advancement to help advance in the path towards decarbonization both smartly and safely.  Earlier this year, GE has been selected as the successful equipment provider for the 6,500 megawatt (MW) Hsinta and Taichung combined cycle power plants. The new generating HA units will commence operations gradually, replacing coal-fired power generating units. In addition, GE launched an open Innovation Challenge to call for ideas to address power challenges in the country. The challenge, in collaboration with Taoyuan City Government and Taiwan Power Company, is GE’s first in Asia, and will award over NT$1 million to the winning ideas that will target opportunities to increase electricity supply and decarbonize the power sector or reduce energy demand and consumption.

GE has supported the development of the energy sector in Taiwan for over 45 years. Today, GE's footprint in Taiwan includes ten offices across eight locations, including more than 450 employees in Taipei, in the Healthcare, Aviation and Power businesses. GE-built power generation technologies are installed throughout the country with over 30 gas turbines providing close to 6000 MW of installed capacity in Taiwan.