Cogeneration in Gas Fired Plants in China
Gas-fired power plants were traditionally used in offshore oil drilling platforms, or as peak load power plants. In recent years, a strong trend towards gas-fired power plants as a main electricity and heat resource has been recorded. Going forward, given rising coal prices versus the increasing availability of natural gas, equipment such as gas turbines and heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) are expected to grow at a much faster rate.
In 2011, gas-fired power plant capacity reached 33 GW: a growth of 24% compared with 2010. By 2015, the installed capacity of gas-fired power plants will reach at least 60 GW, implying a compound annual growth rate of around 20%. GCiS forecasts a total spend of over RMB 60 billion on gas turbine and HRSG equipment for cogeneration between 2011 and 2015.
By 2011, China has economically recoverable natural gas reserves of 3.8 trillion cubic tonnes (and an additional 25 trillion tonnes in recoverable shale gas), ranking third in the world. Several long distance pipelines were completed between 2010 and 2011. This was a high period for overall construction as plants, pipelines and supply stations are brought online at the same time.
Gas turbine orders have shown significant growth in 2011 and this trend is likely to accelerate over the forecast period. Apart from gas supplies from inland China, expanding offshore gas drilling and import LNG will also increase gas supply. Gas-fired power plant construction will continue in China's east and south coastal provinces where huge electricity demand exists.
District heating is also expected to drive considerable growth in gas-fired equipment demand. As of 2010, district heating with CHP supplies over a third of total construction areas in northern cities and towns, the rest being heat-only boiler stations fuelled by coal or natural gas. To reduce energy waste and pollution caused by coal-fired localized boilers and improve energy efficiency, cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Taiyuan have planned to restrict new heat plants to gas-fired only. As shown in currently released plans, new heating plants in these areas have all adopted gas-fired cogeneration.
In China, gas cogeneration is increasing in recent years. ZBG as a leading energy saving and boiler manufacturer, supplying clean power plant boilers burning natural gas, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas, etc.
