The first commercial CO₂ power generator goes live in China

China has begun operating what the South China Morning Post describes as the world’s first commercial power unit based on supercritical carbon dioxide. The system marks a significant advance in efforts to convert industrial waste heat into electricity.

The installation was developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation. It uses high-pressure carbon dioxide instead of steam to draw energy from steelmaking processes. SCMP reports that the system captures waste heat at the Shougang Shuicheng Steel complex in Liupanshui, Guizhou.

The site connects two 15-megawatt units to the regional grid. The technology is expected to achieve efficiency levels around 50 per cent higher than conventional waste-heat power systems that rely on steam-based Rankine cycles.

The new approach uses a closed Brayton-cycle loop. Carbon dioxide becomes supercritical at elevated temperatures and pressures, gaining fluid characteristics that improve heat transfer and conversion efficiency. The properties of supercritical CO₂ also allow turbines and supporting equipment to be much smaller than those used in steam plants.

Steel sintering can generate temperatures above 700°C, which aligns well with the needs of this type of power unit. Researchers cited by SCMP say the system’s performance shows promise for advanced nuclear reactors, mobile nuclear power sources, space power applications and concentrated solar plants.

The project was built with Jigang International Engineering and Technology. SCMP reports that the work follows more than ten years of research. CNNC achieved stable full-power operation in laboratory tests in 2019. Construction of the commercial installation began in 2023, with the current launch intended to support broader adoption of the technology.

Related development efforts are underway outside China. In Texas, the US Department of Energy is supporting the Step Demo pilot. According to SCMP, that project has reached full turbine speed at 500°C and has generated several megawatts of grid-synchronised electricity during early testing as it advances toward its ten-megawatt-electric target.