China's first 550 MW F-class gas turbine unit commences operation

China's first 550-megawatt F-class gas turbine unit started to generate electricity on Saturday after a 168-hour full-load trial run, marking a new breakthrough in the application of large-capacity, high-efficiency clean energy equipment in the country.

Located in Tongnan District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and operated by China Huadian Corporation, the project has a total installed capacity of over 1.1 million kilowatts and achieves a combined-cycle efficiency of 61.66 percent. It is currently the largest and most efficient single F-class heavy-duty gas turbine unit in China.

"Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate approximately 2.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the yearly power demand of 1.75 million households. It will save 200,000 metric tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 860,000 tonnes each year," said Wang Yongxian, technical director of the Huadian Chongqing Tongnan gas power project.

The generating units can operate alone and rapidly restore power supply in the event of grid failures. Additionally, each unit is equipped with two transmission lines, ensuring stable full-load power generation even if one line experiences a malfunction, significantly enhancing power transmission reliability and energy supply security.

According to China Huadian Corporation, natural gas power serves as a key, supportive and flexible energy source for building a modern power system. Rather than simply replacing coal-fired power, gas-fired units play a crucial role in providing large-capacity, efficient and clean backup power.

Compared with coal-fired units, gas turbines offer significantly lower emissions, greater flexibility and higher efficiency. They can ramp up to full load in about one hour, roughly five times faster than traditional coal-fired units.

"New energy sources such as photovoltaic and wind power cannot generate electricity when the wind is low or the sun sets. The greatest feature of this gas turbine unit is its rapid load adjustment capability. It takes only one hour from startup to full load, which is about five times faster than traditional coal-fired units. In the current context of rapid new energy development, this shore up weaknesses in instability of new energy generation, providing strong support and a reliable backup for grid safety and stability," said Wang Gang, a senior engineer of the Huadian Chongqing Tongnan gas power project.

By the end of 2025, electricity generation from clean energy sources such as wind and solar in China increased by 14.4 percent year on year, with non-fossil fuel power accounting for 40.2 percent of total power generation.

Amid rapid growth of new energy, fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal are also undergoing continuous innovation in emission reduction and carbon reduction processes, becoming increasingly clean while providing robust support for renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.

Based on operating temperatures, heavy-duty power generation units are classified into E, F, G/H and J classes, with F-class representing the mainstream global model operating at around 1,400 degrees Celsius.

China's first 550 MW F-class gas turbine unit commences operation

China's growing production capacity for robots, along with their expanding range of applications, is increasingly turning robotic exports into a new business "calling card" for the nation's foreign trade.

According to customs data, the country's exports of robots, listed under separate categories, totaled 11.32 billion yuan (about 1.66 billion US dollars) in Q1 of this year, with products reaching 148 countries and regions worldwide.

Among them, cleaning robots led the momentum. In Q1, cleaning robots exported 7.75 billion yuan (about 1.14 billion US dollars), accounting for nearly 70 percent of total robot exports. Industrial robots also performed robustly, with exports reaching 3.16 billion yuan (about 464 million US dollars), up 42 percent year on year.

In Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province - home to the country's first national-level robot industrial clustering zone - robot dogs are finding practical overseas use. One such four-legged robot can carry up to five kilograms, offers up to two hours of continuous operation, and supports night lighting. Its ability to access narrow areas that are difficult for people to reach makes it useful for property management and security patrol inspections at overseas residential compounds and factory sites.

"Our humanoid robots and robot dogs have already been exported to more than 30 countries and regions. For example, in Europe, we sell in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Italy, and in these markets we have achieved batch deliveries," said Shen Xiantian, Overseas Sales Director of AiMOGA Robotics.

Industry data shows that by the end of 2024, China had more than 450,000 enterprises involved in the intelligent robotics sector. The country has become a net exporter of industrial robots and remains the world's largest robot producer.

"China's robots going abroad is, at its core, the export of China's manufacturing capability. Behind it is the rise of the entire Chinese robotics industrial chain," said Zhang Wei, sales director of Efort Intelligent Equipment Co.,Ltd.

Robotics industry creates new "calling card" for China's foreign trade