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Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station

Gas power plant in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Approximate location 37.2532, 127.4779.

GasGyeonggi-doSouth KoreaCO₂ modelled

Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station is a 570 MW gas power station in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It is operated by SK Hynix. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 642k homes (estimated). It ranks #65 of 216 South Korea power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2022, it is around 4 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 1,380,200 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 322k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 27.9% of South Korea's electricity; the national grid averages 417 gCO₂/kWh (40.0% low-carbon) (2025).

570Source-backed capacity
641,982homes powered (est.)
1,380,200t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2022commissioned (~4 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-5428.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySmart Energy Center (Icheon) power station Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea · Gyeonggi-do Climate TRACE
Coordinates37.2532, 127.4779 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity570 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSK Hynix Climate TRACE
Commissioned2022 Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions1,380,200 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#65 of 216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#35 of 77 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.11× · 515 MW median · 77 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent641,982 calculated
Climate11.1°C · HDD 3,025 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000408496); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 570 MW, Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station is well above the median gas plant in South Korea (515 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~1,380,200 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

322kpassenger cars driven for a year
180khomes' yearly energy use
23 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in South Korea

Incheon: 3,052 MW3kIncheonDangjin Combined Cycle power station: 2,406 MW2kDangjin Co…Samchonpo power station: 2,120 MW2kSamchonpo …KOMIPO Incheon: 1,960 MW2kKOMIPO Inc…Boryeong (CC): 1,800 MW2kBoryeong (…Busan (pusan): 1,800 MW2kBusan (pus…Seoincheon: 1,800 MW2kSeoincheonShinincheon: 1,800 MW2kShinincheon

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by SK Hynix.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a monsoon hot-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.1°Cannual mean temp
3,025heating degree-days (base 18°C)
549cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
81 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 13 °CON: 5 °CND: -1 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 23% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 63/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
28.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
115 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #35 largest gas power plant of 77 in South Korea by capacity.

South Korea has 77 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 58,006 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 37.2532, 127.4779 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station?

Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station is a 570 MW source-record gas power plant in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, commissioned in 2022.

How many homes can Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 641,982 homes (estimated).

Who operates Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station?

Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station is operated by SK Hynix.

How much CO₂ does Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station emit?

Smart Energy Center (Icheon) power station has modelled emissions of about 1,380,200 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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