World’s first 630°C double-reheat coal-fired unit enters commercial operation in China
According to Xinhua News Agency, the world’s first 630°C ultra-supercritical double-reheat 1,000MW coal-fired unit has started commercial operation on 8 June. The unit, part of Datang Yuncheng National Power Demonstration Project in Shandong Province, passed mandatory 168-hour full-load trial runs before formal grid-connected power supply.
The unit adopts a portfolio of pioneering domestic power generation technologies and upgraded core components. It integrates dual-turbine regenerative heating systems with converter-based auxiliary machine speed regulation, alongside deep boiler-turbine coupled flue gas waste heat recovery systems. Three new high-temperature resistant steel components are deployed for the first time in commercial power facilities, including C630R and N-FB2 turbine rotors and T91 water-cooled furnace walls. Home-grown martensitic heat-resistant steel G115® has also achieved its debut field application within the project.
Official project statistics show the overall localization rate of all supporting equipment reaches 98.89%. Xinhua’s industrial energy data notes conventional domestic 1,000MW coal-fired units record an average power generation efficiency of roughly 49%, while the Yuncheng unit hits a thermal efficiency of 50.05%.
Four global benchmarks for large-scale coal-fired power assets have been set by the newly commissioned unit. Its reheat steam temperature stands at 631°C, main steam pressure reaches 35.5 megapascals, and the net coal consumption for power supply drops to 256.28 grams per kilowatt-hour. It marks the first global coal-fired facility with thermal efficiency exceeding 50%.
Domestic power engineering institutions will roll out technical parameter replication of the Yuncheng unit’s core designs in subsequent grid infrastructure upgrades. Optimised material matching and waste heat recovery workflows from the project will be embedded into newly approved coal power renovation schemes across northern Chinese power bases. The technological breakthroughs will also support cross-border technical cooperation for high-efficiency low-carbon coal power retrofits in Asia-Pacific energy markets.
