POWER October 2015 - 34

TOP PLANTS
Shanghai Waigaoqiao No. 3,
Shanghai, China
Owner/operator: Shenergy Company Ltd.
Courtesy: Shenergy Company Ltd.
In a nation seeing breakneck growth in its power sector and a drive toward cleaner,
more efficient generation, coal remains the backbone. That means hard work
is ahead for China in power sector innovation, and a plant in Shanghai is leading
the way.
Thomas W. Overton, JD
T
here is no country on earth that has seen
growth in its power sector like China.
Whether it's renewables such as solar,
wind, and hydropower (where it has led the
world in new capacity additions for years);
nuclear (it has 24 reactors under construction);
or conventional thermal generation,
China has been adding capacity at an astonishing
pace to stay ahead of equally dramatic
growth in demand. China now possesses the
world's largest installed generating base,
having recently passed the U.S. According
to data from the China Electricity Council,
in 2014 alone China added an incredible 101
GW of capacity, more than the total installed
capacity of all but about 10 other nations
worldwide.
But it's not just a matter of adding new
generation. China is also facing serious challenges
from air pollution, much of it stemming
from the nation's traditional heavy
reliance on coal. Though China is making a
concerted effort to transition to lower-carbon
power and reduce its coal consumption, coal
will remain a major source of electricity for
the foreseeable future-around 116 GW of
coal capacity is currently under construction.
All this means that major efforts are necessary
to improve efficiency and reduce emis34
sions
if the nation is to reduce air pollution
and meet its ambitious commitments toward
carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions.
Though much of China's air pollution
problems stem from old, inefficient coal
plants without modern emissions controls,
the nation has a substantial fleet of advanced
supercritical and ultra-supercritical generating
plants. Yet even these facilities are being
called upon to make improvements. Many
have upgraded their emissions controls and
made changes to improve efficiency. But one
plant in Shanghai has gone above and beyond
even that.
Long Haul
The Waigaoqiao Power Base in Shanghai has
a 5-GW total capacity with eight units in the
Pudong New Area on the banks of the Yangtze
River. The individual units were constructed
in three phases and are operated by
three independent companies.
Development of Phase 1 of the project,
comprising four 300-MW units supplied by
Shanghai Electric, began in the early 1990s,
with the units coming online between 1994
and 1997. Phase 2, comprising two 900-MW
supercritical units-some of the first in China-with
technology from Alstom, Siemens,
www.powermag.com
and Hitachi, began construction in 2001 and
entered operations in 2004.
But with the dust from Phase 2 barely
settled, it was time for something even bigger-what
would be the most advanced and
efficient coal-fired plant in China.
Construction of Waigaoqiao No. 3's two
1,000-MW ultra-supercritical units began in
mid-2005. The steam turbines, turbine-generators,
and boilers were supplied by Shanghai
Electric Co. under license from Alstom
(boilers) and Siemens (turbines). Siemens
also directly supplied additional components
for the steam turbines and generators (Figure
1). Both units employ flue gas desulfurization
(FGD) and selective catalytic reduction
(SCR) for NOx removal. The two units entered
commercial operation in March and
June of 2008.
As an ultra-supercritical plant, Waigaoqiao
No. 3 operates with main steam temperatures
of at least 600C and pressures up to 4,000
psi. When it first came online, it operated at
42.73% net efficiency, making it one of the
most efficient coal plants in the world. But
that was only the start.
Technological Advances
From the beginning, the project team made
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POWER October 2015

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