Automated power plant

Emerson Process Management has won a $7 million contract to automate China’s coal-fired Huaneng Yuhuan Power Plant.

Owned by Huaneng Power International, the project will be China's first 1,000MW-per-unit power plant, and the country’s first to use ultra-supercritical technologies.

Ultra-supercritical plants use new advanced clean coal technology that allows operation at elevated steam temperatures and pressures. Ultra-supercritical technologies are expected to become more prevalent in China because they can boost the efficiency of coal-based electricity generation by more than 50%, while maintaining superior environmental performance.

Emerson will engineer and install its Ovation expert control system at the new four-unit, 4,000MW (4 x 1,000MW) plant.

Located in Yuhuan City in China’s Zhejiang Province, the plant will be built in two phases: the first two units are expected to be operational in 2007, the remaining units are slated for start-up the following year. The project will be co-ordinated and supervised by Emerson’s Power & Water Solutions industry centre.