Hanwha Power has taken its first step into the U.S. combined-cycle power generation market, using its cooperation with Korea Southern Power as a foothold. Hanwha Power said on June 25 it participated in an event on June 24 local time in Trumbull County, Ohio, marking the completion and start of commercial operations at the Trumbull Energy Center combined-cycle power plant.

The Trumbull Energy Center is a 950-megawatt combined-cycle power plant for which Korea Southern Power (KOSPO) led project development and investment. It was built as a replacement power source for an aging coal-fired power plant and will supply electricity to the PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection) grid, the largest wholesale power market in the United States. Key project participants including Gemma Power Systems and Siemens Energy attended the completion ceremony.

Hanwha Power supplied 3 fuel gas compressors (FGC) for the project. The equipment is an integrated centrifugal compressor that applies variable-speed drive (VFD) technology to control compressor speed using a frequency conversion method. It is designed to enable stable operation to match PJM regional characteristics, where pipeline pressure fluctuates sharply depending on the season, the company said.

Hanwha Power also secured a 9-year long-term service agreement (LTSA) along with the equipment supply. The contract includes the supply of key spare parts and 3 major overhaul services, and the company plans to provide on-site support with its Houston service center as a base. Prakash Nair (Prakash Nair), Hanwha Power chief commercial officer (CCO), said securing both the equipment supply and the long-term service contract showed customers' trust in the company's technological capabilities and operational capacity. He said it would continue expanding its presence in the U.S. power market through a services business based on long-term partnerships.

Jumong Choi (최주몽), head of the Trumbull unit, said the Trumbull Energy Center was a representative power generation project pursued by Korea Southern Power in the North American market and an important milestone contributing to stable electricity supply and the transition to environmentally friendly energy. He said it would prove the competitiveness of Korean-style power generation technology through cooperation with Hanwha Power and other South Korean companies and continue expanding its presence in global markets.