16 September 2026, 16:05 UTC

Korea Western Power completes country's first coal-to-gas plant conversion with 500 MW unit in Gumi

Korea Western Power has commissioned a 500 MW natural gas combined-cycle plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, built to replace the retired Taean coal-fired unit 1. It is South Korea's first coal-to-gas fuel conversion project, and it lifts Gumi's local power self-sufficiency from 6% to around 30%.

Korea Western Power has completed South Korea's first conversion of a retired coal-fired power station into a natural gas plant, commissioning a 500 MW combined-cycle facility in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. The utility held the completion ceremony on 16 September at the fifth industrial complex of Gumi HiTech Valley, Kyongbuk Ilbo reported.

About 150 people attended, including North Gyeongsang Governor Lee Cheol-woo, National Assembly member Kang Myung-gu, Gumi Mayor Kim Chang-ho, Korea Western Power chief executive Lee Jung-bok and local residents.

Replacement capacity for a retired coal unit

The plant was built to replace Taean coal-fired unit 1, which has been shut down. According to Kyongbuk Ilbo, it is the first case in the country of coal-fired generation being switched to natural gas, and its significance lies in securing replacement capacity that limits the supply gap created as coal plants are withdrawn from the system.

Prime Economy described the project as a fuel conversion that raises the degree of power self-sufficiency in the Gumi area while securing the stable supply that advanced industries in the region require.

From groundbreaking to commercial operation

Construction began in December 2022. The plant received power for the first time in November 2024, achieved first firing of the gas turbine in September 2025 and began generating from the steam turbine in December 2025. Commercial operation started on 20 February, a little over three years after work began on site.

Self-sufficiency climbs from 6% to 30%

With the plant in service, Gumi's power self-sufficiency rate rises from the previous 6% to about 30%, according to Kyongbuk Ilbo. The publication said the shift strengthens the basis for stable electricity supply to semiconductor manufacturing and other advanced industries in the area.

The station sits next to Gumi HiTech Valley, where semiconductor and other high-technology plants are concentrated, which improves the ability to respond to demand from the industrial complex. Kyongbuk Ilbo said the project is viewed as having secured a stable power supply chain in step with expanding investment by industries that require large volumes of electricity.

Emissions controls and a shared gas network

The plant uses the latest low-nitrogen-oxide (NOx) combustors and environmental equipment, keeping air pollutant emissions below the legally required level, Kyongbuk Ilbo reported. Compared with coal-fired generation, the facility is also expected to cut carbon and air pollutant emissions.

Cooperation with Korea Gas Corporation saved about 200 billion won in national budget spending. Rather than building a separate natural gas pipeline for the plant, the two companies jointly developed the supply network, avoiding duplicate pipeline investment.

Capacity: 500 MW natural gas combined-cycle plant
Replaces: retired Taean coal-fired unit 1
Construction: started December 2022, commercial operation from 20 February
Local power self-sufficiency: from 6% to about 30%
Budget saving from shared gas supply network: about 200 billion won

"The Gumi natural gas power plant is the first case under the national energy transition policy," Korea Western Power chief executive Lee Jung-bok said. He added that the company would operate the plant safely and efficiently so that it supplies the power needed by advanced industries and contributes to the development of the regional economy.

Expert commentary

“South Korea has swapped a retired 500 MW coal unit in Taean for a 500 MW gas-fired plant in Gumi, and the relocation is the point. Gumi's power self-sufficiency moves from 6% to about 30%, so the area still buys most of its electricity from outside, but the local cushion is five times what it was. For semiconductor fabs, grid reliability is a siting criterion on a par with land and water. Putting generation next to the load also avoids adding new long-distance transmission, which is the hardest part of any Korean grid project.

The 200 billion won saved by sharing a gas supply network with KOGAS instead of laying a dedicated pipeline is the more transferable number. Every further coal-to-gas conversion runs into the same question of how the gas physically reaches the site, and duplicated pipelines are where these budgets disappear. The schedule matters too: groundbreaking in December 2022, commercial operation on 20 February, so roughly three years for 500 MW on a brownfield-linked project. Korea has no meaningful domestic gas production, which means each converted unit turns a coal import bill into an LNG import bill and raises the share of the country's fuel spend exposed to LNG prices. Cleaner megawatts, but ones that move with the gas market rather than the coal market.”

Priya Raghavan

Energy Markets Analyst