KOMIPO recycles CO2 gas

Korea Midland Power operates a carbon capture and storage facility at its main coal-fired power plant in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of Korea Midland Power

By Lee Hyo-sik

Korea Midland Power (KOMIPO) has been taking various steps over the years to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases from its power plants.

One of Korea’s five regional power plant operators, wholly-owned by the Korea Electric Power Corp., has been running a carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at its main coal-fired power plant in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, significantly decreasing the amount of CO2 and other gases released into the atmosphere.

Furthermore, KOMIPO has begun recycling CO2 gases that its power plant stores for various agricultural and industrial uses, generating additional income.

In May 2013, the company installed the 10-megawatt CCS facility at its Boryeong plant, which was the world’s fourth-largest. It spent 46.3 billion won to construct the state-of-the-art equipment to capture and store CO2 gases.

Early this month, the power plant operator signed an agreement with Hankook Special Gases to supply CO2 to the latter. Under the accord, Hankook compresses and liquefies the CO2, and delivers it to industrial plants and greenhouse farms.

“Our power plants burn coal to generate electricity. In the process, CO2 and other gases are generated as by-products,” a KOMIPO spokesman said. “Since May 2013, we have significantly slashed the amounts of CO2 released into the air through the CCS procedure. We are now about to recycle the gases to earn additional income.”

About 550,000 tons of compressed carbon dioxide are used annually for various purposes in Korea. For instance, food firms need CO2 to produce carbonated beverages and farmers need the gas to grow crops in a greenhouse.

“The Boryeong plant is not far from massive greenhouse complexes along the nation’s western coastal area. So it is easier and less costly to transport the liquefied CO2 to them,” the spokesman said. “We will continue to advance CCS technologies and install the CCS equipment at other power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create profits.”