Case studies

2022

Improvement of Hong Kong’s air quality through the Black Point Power Station gas turbine upgrade project

Since 2015, CLP Power has been upgrading gas turbines for all eight older gas-fired generation units at the Black Point Power Station. The project was successfully completed in early 2022. The upgrades improve unit efficiency, reduce NO_x and CO₂ emissions and bring about an incremental increase of unit capacity that supports improvements to Hong Kong’s air quality. 

The gas turbine upgrade project involved upgrading and replacing several components to achieve state-of-the-art design. It included upgrading the entire combustion system with a complete change-out of associated fuel systems, all hot-gas path components and an un-flared compressor. One of the major environmental benefits of the upgrade is the performance guarantee of NO_x emission reduction from 50 mg/Nm³ to 30 mg/Nm³ by the advanced low NO_x burner, which leads to a significant decrease in NO_x emissions intensity. The increase in thermal efficiency also lowers carbon intensity which aligns with CLP’s vision on decarbonisation.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the upgraded system also improves fuel flexibility, lowers turndown periods and extends maintenance inspection intervals. All these benefits translate to consumer savings in terms of operating costs.

Having signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement with GE Gas Power (GE) in 2021, CLP is currently working collaboratively with GE to explore the feasibility of using a variable blend of natural gas and hydrogen at Black Point Power Station, with the aim of further reducing its carbon emissions in the future.