Joint Venture KEPCO-Uhde Inc. to co-operate in the field of coal gasification

KEPCO, the largest utility in South Korea, and Germany based Uhde, one of the largest technology-driven EPC contractors, have today signed a Joint Venture Agreement. The contract was signed at the head office of Uhde in Dortmund, Germany, with the presence of the CEO of KEPCO, Mr. Ssang-su Kim, the CEO of thyssenkrupp AG, Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, and the CEO of Uhde, Dr. Michael Thiemann.

KEPCO will have the largest 66 % share of the newly established joint venture, with Uhde holding 34 %. KEPCO-Uhde Inc. will use Uhde’s PRENFLO PSG steam gasification process to carry out global projects in IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) and SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) engineering, licensing and technology development.

Uhde is a globally recognized engineering company which holds gasification technology essential for IGCC and SNG. Uhde’s proven PRENFLO PSG process has been used in an IGCC power plant in Puertollano, Spain, which is in operation boasting one of the highest efficiency in the world.

"We are pleased about this partnership with KEPCO, and look forward to building a number of PRENFLO gasification based plants through our Joint Venture", says Dr. Michael Thiemann, CEO of Uhde.

"The relationship between KEPCO and Uhde is an alliance of leaders in their fields: KEPCO as a top class utility & engineering company in the world, and Uhde as one of the world leaders in the field of coal gasification technology", says Mr. Ssang-su Kim, CEO of KEPCO, at the signing ceremony.

Environment-friendly next generation IGCC technology gasifies coal at high temperature and high pressure to create fuel gas comprising mostly CO and hydrogen, which is then purified and runs gas and steam turbines. Conventional power plants are expected to be replaced with IGCC power plants that can remarkably reduce CO2, SOX, NOX, while showing high generation efficiency

Synthetic Natural Gas, having CH4 as a main constituent and therefore capable of substituting LNG, is evidently a promising gasification technology with a high likelihood of becoming future resources.

KEPCO-Uhde Inc. will be established in July, 2011 in Korea. The Joint Venture plans to win its first contract within the fourth quarter of this year with the help of strong support from KEPCO and Uhde, and joint R&D activities. KEPCO-Uhde Inc. is poised to build the largest IGCC power plant and be-come a global front runner in Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, Synthetic Natural Gas and Carbon Capture Sequestration which are strong in economics, efficiency and environment-friendliness by 2020.

Uhde has a workforce of more than 4,500 employees worldwide and is a company in the Plant Technology busi-ness area of the thyssenkrupp Group. The company's activities focus on the engineering and construction of chemical and other industrial plants in the following fields: fertilisers; electrolysis; gas technologies; oil, coal, and residue gasification; refining technologies; organic intermediates, polymers and synthetic fibres; and also coke plant and high-pressure technologies. We also provide our customers with professional services and comprehen-sive solutions in all areas of industrial plant operation. Details are available at www.uhde.eu