BEIJING -- China Huadian Corporation Ltd announced on Saturday that the country's first 550-megawatt F-class gas turbine unit has officially started generating power after completing 168 hours of full-load operation, marking a new breakthrough in the application of large-capacity, high-efficiency clean energy equipment.

The unit is part of the Huadian Chongqing Tongnan gas power project in Southwest China's Chongqing. With a total installed capacity of about 1.1 million kilowatts, 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 around 2.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the yearly power demand of approximately 1.75 million households. It will also save about 200,000 tonnes of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 860,000 tonnes each year, while achieving near-zero emissions of sulfur dioxide and particulate pollutants.

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.